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Prof. Oscar ft. Oleason, 
The Kingp off Horse Trainer*. 



Gleason'S Horse Book 



The Only Authorized Work by 

America's King of Horse Tamers 



COMPRISING 



History, Breeding, Training, Breaking, Buying, 

Feeding, Grooming, Shoeing, Doctoring, 

Telling Age, and General Care 

of the Horse. 



By Prof. Oscar R. Gleason, 



Renowned throughout America and recognized by the U. S. Governmsnt 
as the most Expert and Successful Horseman of the Present Age. 



PROFUSELY ItiiUSTRATKID. 



Chicago 

HOMEWOOD PUBLISHING COMPANY 

Publishers 






COJTKIGHT, 1892, 

By Oscar R. Gijsasosi. 



INTRODUCTION. 



It is necessary for any man wishing to handle horses success- 
fully to be self-possessed, determined, and to give some attention 
to the horse's natural habits and disposition. I do not think it 
is claiming too much for my system to say, by its use, any horse 
may be broke (regardless of his being previously spoiled,) so as 
to make him perfectly docile and even safe lor a family horse. 

In dealing with my plan, you are not wasting your time with a 
mysterious trick, with which so many are humbugged by unprin- 
cipled men who have nothing good at heart for either horse or 
man, but merely want ill-gained dollars. In my book you will 
find the principles of a universally applicable system for the 
better training of horses for man's use, producing such matchless 
docility as has not before been found. The three fundamental 
principles are : First, control — teaching submission and docility. 
This being the first lesson for the horse, is of the greatest impor- 
tance, and is the same to his after education that the alphabet i3 
to the boy's, and should be learned perfectly for ease and success 
in after lessons. Secondly, let kindness run through all your 
actions toward the horse. Thirdly, appeal properly to the horse's 
understanding, prudently associating mastery with kindness; 
rebuke wrong and reward right. 

Although the horse possesses some faculties superior to man, 
yet he is deficient in reasoning power ; he is naturally of a kind 
disposition, as evidenced by his attachment to his kind keeper. 
He has no thought of disobedience, except by the pernicious im- 



_6- 

prudence of violating the laws of his nature, in which case he is 
not in fault, but the violator. You will learn that he may be 
taught to perfectly submit to anything, however odious it may 
have been to him at first. 

As the value of the horse is daily becoming more manifest, it 
is presumed that any attempt to reduce into a system the art of 
preserving him in health and removing disease will not be unac- 
ceptable. 

It is certain that at no period in the history of this country 
has the horse stood so high in general estimation, or by the dis- 
play of his various powers rendered himself an object morG 
worthy of our consideration. As greater attention is now paid 
to the breeding of horses, for the different purposes of the turf 
and the road, so should our anxiety for their education increase. 
The object of this publication is to render as plain and familiar 
as possible a subject that has for a length of time remained in 
obscurity. The want of a work advancing practical facts and 
illustrations has long been severely felt and acknowledged. 

In the suggestions offered in this book I have preserved sim- 
plicity in describing diseases, and have prescribed such remedies 
as are accessible to all. For obvious reasons an extensive article 
on telling the age of the horse has been included, as well as easy 
directions for detecting unsoundness and vice in a horse. 

Under this conviction I am induced to lend my aid in bringing 
forth the present volume. 

To remove long-standing prejudices, I am aware, is a difficult 
task, still I venture to hope that a careful perusal of these pages 
will excite, in some degree, the feelings of humanity in respect 
to the many sufferings to which the generous animal is frequently 
liable from unmerited cruelty and injudicious treatment, and 
that mankind may be induced to view his sufferings with an eye 
of sympathy and tenderness, and have recourse to a rational 
mode of practice when accident or disease may require it. 

I am not aware that &vy publication has been issued from the 
press of any country in which the science of horsemanship has 
been laid down in such a manner as to be clearly understood. 
The present work is so familiar in its composition as to render it 



-7- 

at once intelligible to every one who may think proper to poms.'* 
its contents. 

I claim the honor of being the only horse-trainer or teacher of 
horsemanship who ever advanced the idea of introducing his 
methods to the United States Government. If they are used ac- 
cording to my instructions, they will be of great benefit to the 
Government. 
• This is a day of progression. Men are respected in proportion 
to their education, intelligence and usefulness ; governments are 
4^respected for the soundness of their constitutions and intelligence 
of their laws and enforcement of the same, and the size and 
efficiency of their armies. The soldier who receives a careful 
training and useful education in military science and conducts 
himself properly, is respected, trusted and promoted. I contend 
that the soldier's education has not been completed until he has 
a thorough knowledge of the great art of horse-training and 
educating his horse, for he should be to him a daily companion. 
By a thorough knowledge of the great art, to which I allude, ho 
is capable of judging the most intelligent, hardy and useful 
horse for his department of the service. The more useful the 
animal to his master, the more companionable and highly appre- 
ciated. The better the horse, the better the master. I have 
written this book from an experience of ever seventeen years in the 
study of the training and education of the horse, and if these 
instructions are put to practical use, they will improve the mili- 
tary service in all departments in which horses are used. 

My one aim and object is to get my methods of training the 
noble and intelligent horse before the people of this country, for 
I feel by so doing lasting good will be done the poor, unappreci- 
ated dumb brute ; and though he can never know the good 
I shall have done him, his master will be able to appreciate the 
benefit. 

Permit me to state briefly that I have traveled all * over the 
United States, and have given public exhibitions in all of the 
principal cities and towns. I have handled over twenty thousand 
of the most vicious kickers, balkers, strikers, plungers, biters, 
boltei-s, shyers, and horses possessing all other vicious habits 



-8- 

known, but I have yet to find the horse I could not by my 
methods conquer, subdue and make docile in a short time, yet I 
have not injured one horse, nor is it necessary for me to be cruel, 
for the method used is simple. 

It is with a feeling of pride — for I have earned my success by 
honesty of purpose, straightforward action, hard labor and close 
study — that I refer to crowded houses wherever I have been and 
audiences made up of the very best class of citizens, which is tha 
best evidence that my labors have been appreciated and my 
methods a success. 

In giving out this work I have tried to make it simple and aa 
plain as possible, as I do not approve of a large book filled up 
with trash. All the scientific points of horsemanship are laid 
down here in common-sense talk. They can bo readily under- 
stood by a boy of twelve. It has cost a large sum of money to 
engrave the different cuts and to make them plain, so they can 
be quickly understood by the reader. 

Hoping and fully believing that where occasion requires all 
persons who may chance to peruse this work, will fully carry out 
the instructions laid down here for their benefit, which has coet 
mo a lifetime of mental aad physical labor to perfect and that 
both horse and man will be benefited thereby, I am 
Respectfully, your obedient servant, 

OSCAR R. GLEASOK 



TABLE OP CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

INTRODUCTION, 5 



HISTORY OF THE HORSE 9* 

INTELLIGENCE OF THE HORSE, 15 

EDUCATING THE HORSE.— New method of haltering a wild or vicious 
colt. — Tc educate the horse to the words " come here " ; how to get a 
horse up that throws himself; to educate a colt to drive before being 
harnessed; to educate a colt to move his body when he moves his 
head; instructions to ride the colt; to prevent a horse from kicking 
and pawing in the stall ; to educate a horse not to get cast in the stall ; 
to catch a horse easily; to prevent rearing under saddle or before 
a carriage; to prevent cribbing ; to prevent kicking when the lines get 
under the horse's tail ; bits used in educating bad horses ; to educate a 
horse not to be afraid of objects when driving; first lesson with the 
umbrella ; horses bad to bridle ; to make a " single foot " horse trot 
"square"; to educate a pacer to trot; to educate a horse to trot; to 
educate a horse not to kick in the shafts; to infuse life into a lazy 
horse ; to stirt a balky horse, 24 



TEACHING HORSES TRICKS.— To take a handkerchief from his 
side; to kiss a boy; to bore for oil; to make a horse walk up; 
to sit down ; to drive a boy off a pedestal ; to shake hands ; to make a 
bow ; to walk on his knees ; to be vicious ; to laugh ; to push a vehicle; 
to "go lame"; to walk on hia hind feet; to say "no"; to mount a 
pedestal; to waltz, 46 

HOW TO BUY. — Get correct information; the buyer; proportions of 
the horse; the Cleveland bay for profit; the light harness horse; 
saddle horses of all gaits; the high-bred hunting horse ; racing horses; 
what the racer should be ; how to detect vices and defects ; other faults 
and imperfections; buying cheap horses; color ;u relation to value; 
action; fast walking horses; what a horse should be; form for pur- 
chasing, 54 

HOW TO FEED, WATER, AND GROOM.— Laying the foundation; 
what to feed; when to feed; watering; kinds and quantities of food; 
how to prepare the food; mashes, gruel, and hay tea; the value of 
hay and straw; feeding grain; stable care and training; the time to 
clean ; care of the feet ; blanketing when necessary ; proper tools for 
the stable, > 75 

BREEDING AND RAISING HORSES.- Importance of the subject; 
the best stock the cheapest; hereditary tendencies and immaturity; 
principles of transmission ; "in and in" and "cross breeding"; treat- 
ment of mare ; how to know a mare is in foal ; how to know time of 
foaling ; " slinking " or abortion ; how to raise colts ; mules, 85 

BREAKING AND TAMING WILD AND VICIOUS HORSES.— 

Nature of the horse; names and situations of external parts; questions 
and answers; handling and driving a colt; the working of the new 
Gleason bit; the stable; circulation of air; hay tea; how to make the 
Gleason surcingle; to accustom horses to objects when driving; you 
must educate your horse ; bad biters ; how to drive a horse up to an 
object that he is afraid of; all grades of balky horses ; cleaning collars; 
harness and saddles ; the celebrated " Gleason bridle " ; answering ques- 



tions; ladies' equestrianism; regulating and managing a sr vernment 
farm; shipping horses; special to the farmer; errors in feeding; feed- 
ing during a hard march or long drive; care when heated; in the 
spring, 104 

METHODS FOR DETECTING UNSOUNDNESS.-How to examine a 

horse ; kinds of unsoundness ; treatment, 220 

THE TEETH.— New method of telling age; the teeth and jaws at various 

ages; a poem, 224 

HORSE-SHOEING DEPARTMENT.— Questions with valuable answers; 
shoes for over-reaching : corns; toe crack; the saddle horse's feet; the 
soaking tub; the turf horse's foot; perfect feet; packing and soaking 
horses feet ; a few points, 241 

DISEASES OF THE HORSE.— Causes of Diseases, 269 ; How to Observe 
Disease, The Principles of Disease, 270; The Pulse, 272; BreatUng, 
Treatment of Disease, 273 ; How Diseases are Cured Without Medicine, 
274 ; Nature, Symptoms, Cause and Treatment, 275 

Abrasion, Abscess, Acari, Accidents, 276; Aconite, Alternatives, 
Amaurosis, Anaemia, Aneurism, Apoplexy, 277; Aphtha, Atrophy, . . 278 

Back Sinlusis, Baldness, Belly Ache, Big Head, Bishoping, Bite of 
Mad Dog, 279; Bladder Disease, Bleeding, 280; Bloody Urine, Blood, 
Boils, Bots, Bowels, 282; Brain Diseases, Breaking Down, Breathing 
Short, Breeze Flies, Brittle Feet, Bronchi, 283; Bronchitis, 284; 
Bronchocele, Broken Knees, 285; Bruises of the Sole, Burns and 
Scalds, 286 ; Bursa Mucosa Enlarged 28T 

Calculi, Cancer, Canine Babies, Capped Elbow, 287 ; Chapped Hock, 
Carditis, Caries, 2S8; Castration, Cataract, Catarrh, Cautery, Cerebro- 
spinal Meningitis, Chest Diseases, Chest Founder, Chilblains, Chill, 
289; Clinking, Chorea, Cold, 290; Cold Lotions, Colic, 291; Coma, 
Congestion of Lunga, Constipation, 293; Consumption, Contagion, 294; 



Contraction, Convalescence, Corns, Coryza Gangrenosa, Corrosive Sub- 
limate, Cough, Counter-irritants, Cow Hock, Cramp, 295; Crib- 
biting, Curb, 296 ; Curly Hocked, Cutaneous Diseases, Cutting, . .< . . 297 

Death Debility, 297; Deformities, Denteropathia, Diabetes, 298; 
Diaphoretics, Diarrhoea, Diathesis, 299; Diet, Disinfectants, 300; 
Distemper, Diuretics, Dropsies, 302 ; Dysentery, 303 

Ear Diseases, Ecchymosis, Eczema, Elephantiasis, Embrocation, 
Emetics, 303 ; Emphysema, Encysted Tumors, Encephaloid, Endermic, 
Enema, Ephemeral, Epidemic, Epizootic, Epilepsy, Epiphora, 304; 
Epsom Salts, Eruptions, Erysipelas, Exostosis, Eyes, 305 

False Quarter, Farcy, 310 ; Fatty Tumor, Farrier, Fever, Fever in 
Feet, 313 ; Fibroma, Fistula, 314 ; Fistula in Foot, Fistulous Withers, 
Fits, 315; Flaxseed, Food, 316; Foot Diseases, 318 ; Founder, 325; 
Fractures, 326 ; Fracture of Hip or Pelvis, 328 ; Fungi, Frost Bites, . 329 

Gangrene, Gastritis Mucosa, 330; Glanders, 332; Glass Eye, Gleet, 
Granulation, Gravel in Foot, 335 ; Grease, 336 ; Gripes, Grogginess, 
Grunter, 337 ; Gullet, Gunshot Wound, Gutta Sarena, 335 

Heart, Heaves, 338; Heat, Hepatic Diseases, Hernia, Herpes, Heredi- 
tary Diseases, 339; Hide Bound, 340; Hip Joint Diseases, The Hock, 
341 ; Hooks in the Eyes, Horse Fly, 342; Humanity to Animals, 343 ; 
Hydrothorax, Hydrocele, Hydronemia, Hydrophobia, 346; Hyper- 
trophy, Hypodermic, Hysteria, 347 

Indigestion, Infection, Inflammation, Influenza, 348 ; Injections, 349 ; 
Intestines, Itch, Interfering, 3§0 

Jack Jaundice, Joint Diseases, 850 ; Jugular Vein, 351 

Kidneys, 351 ; Knees Broken, Knee Joints, Knuckling, 352 

Lameness, Laminitis, Lampas, Laryngitis, Leg, Lice, Ligaments, 
S53 ; Lipoma, Liver, 354 ; Loins, Loss of Appetite, Lumbago, Lungs, 
£56 ; Lymph, Lymphangitis, 359 



Madnc:>s, Mad Staggers, Maggots, Malignant, Malignant .Epidemic, 
Mullenders, Mange, 360; Materia Medica, Megrims, Melanosis, Mela- 
noid, Mesentery, Mesenterica, Metastasis, Moon Blindness, 301 ; Morti- 
fication, Moribund, Mouth, 362 ; Mucot'S Membrane, Mucus, Myalgia, 363 

Narcotics, Nasal Gleet, Navicular Disease, Necrosis, Nephritis, 
Nervousness, 364; Neurotomy, Nose, Obesity, CEdoma, 365; CEstro- 
mania, Omentum, Open Joints, Ophthalmia, C^iiication, Osteology, 

Osteophorosis, Ostitis, Overreach, Ozena, 366 

* 

Palliatives, Paralysis, 366; Pathology, Patella, Pasterns, Pelvis, 
Pelvic Abscess, 368; Penis Hanging Out, Peristaltic, Peritonitis, 369; 
Periosteum, Phagenda, 370 ; Phlebitis, Phlegmasia Dclcns, Phreniti?., 
Physiology, Physicing, Pleurisy, 371 ; Pleuro-Pneumonia, Pleurodynia, 
Pleuro-Pneumonia, Poisons, 372 ; Poll-evil, 373 ; Polypi, Predisposing 
Causes, 374 ; Prick of the Foot, Probang, Procidenta, Prognosis, 
Prophylactics, Proud Flesh, Prurigo, Pulse, Pun.ture, 375; Purgatives, 
Purpura, Pus, Putrefaction, 376 ; Putrid Fever, Pyemia, 377 

Quack Medicines, Quinsey, Quitton, 377 

Rabies, Rachitis, 377; Resolution, Respiration, Revulsion, Rheuma- 
tism, 378; Ring Bone, 380; Ring Worm, Roaring, Round Bone, 
Rowels, 331; Ruptures, 382 

Saddle Galls, Sallenders, Saliva, Salivation, 385; Sand Cracks, 
Sanious Pus, Scalds, Scald Mouth, Scarlatina, Scratches, Schirrus, 
Scouring, Scrotum, Scurf, Secretion, 386; Sedatives, Serum, Sirous 
Abscess, Seton, Shivers, Shoeing of Sound Feet, 387; Shoulder Lame- 
ness, 388; Shoulder Joint Lameness Side Bones, Sinus, Sitfasts, 390; 
Skeleton, Skin Diseases, 391 ; Slough, Soreness, Soundness, Spavin, 
395 ; Specks on the Eye, Speedy Cut, Spleen Diseases, Splint, Sprains, 
398; Stagger*. 399; Stings, Stifle Joint Lameness, 401; Stomach 
Diseases, Stone in Bladder, Strangles, Stranguary, 402; Strangula- 
tion, Stringhalt, 403; Stumbling, Sunstroke, Suppuration, 404; Surfeit, 
Bwelleri Legs, Swellings, Sweenie, Sympathy, 405; Synovia, Synchro- 
oous, Systole, • • 406 



Mm 

Tabamdoe, Tabes, Talpa?, Teeth, Tetanus, Tetter, Thick Wind, 

Thick Leg, Thiselo, Through Pin, Thread Worms, Throat Diseases. 
Thrush, Thrombus, Thumps, 406; Tongue, Tonics, Toxicology, Trache- 
otomy, Transfusion, Tread, Trepanning, Trismus, Tubercles, Tumors 
407 ; Tympanitis, Typhia, Typhoid, Typhosus, 499 

Ulcers, 411; Urinary Calculi, Urine, . , 413 

Varicose, Venesection, Ventilation, Vi>*«, 413 

Warts, Warranty, 413; Warblss, Water Farcy, Weeping Eye, Wens, 
Wheezing, Whirl Bone, Wind Galls, Wind Sucking, Worms, 414; 
Wounds, Wourali, 416 

Yellows, Yellow Water, 416 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PAOl 

Prof. Oscar R. Gleason (Half-tone Portrait), Frontispiece 

To Halter a Wild or Vicious Colt 24 

Educating a Colt to Move his Body when he Moves his Head, 28 

To Prevent a Horse from Kicking or Pawing in the Stall, 31 

To Prevent a Horse from Getting Cast in the Stall, 32 

To Educate a Horse not to Kick when the Lines get Under his Tail, ... 37 

To Start a Balky Horse, 4? 

A Fine Stallion Showing Thorough Blood, . 55 

A Light Hunting Horse, 5/ 

Proportions of the Horse, 58 

A Heavy Hunting Horse, 63 

The Nervous System of the Horse, 101 

Skeleton of the Horse, 103 

Names and Situations of External Parts, • . 105 

Intelligent Driving Horses, 106 

To Handle a Whip Over a Colt 107 

Training a Colt, 108 

To Handle a Colt's Feet 109 

To Break a Colt to Bide 110 

Gleason's Double Safety Ropes in Use 112 

Treatment for a Halter Puller, 115 

Relative Measurements, 116 

Handling a Colt's Hind Feet 117 

Gleason's Head Sti«tp for Shoeing Vicious Horses, 117 

Perfect Heads of Draft Horses, • . Hi 



PA«U 

Gleason's Bridle Bit, 119 

The Famous Bit, 121 

The Horse with Overcheck, 122 

The Horse in Natural Beauty without Check Rein, 123 

Cruelly Tortured by High Checking, 124 

Horses Properly Check-Keined, • ••••• 121 

The High Back or Manger, »> 13i 

Horse Eating Food From the Ground, the Natural Position, 134 

How to Make the Gleason Surcingle, . . 135 

First Position Taken in Throwing a Horse, 137 

Second Position Taken in Throwing a Horse, 138 

Third Position Taken in Throwing a Horse, 139 

Fourth Position Taken in Throwing a Horse, 140 

Proper Halter to be Used in Throwing a Horse, 141 

Gleason's Double Safety Strap, 146 

Starting a Balky Horse, 148 

To Educate a Horse not to be afraid of Objects, o.... 151 

To Educate a Horse not to be Afraid of Steam, 152 

To Break a Shier, 153 

Gleason's Knee Pads and Double Safety Straps, 154 

Horse with one Foot Raised by Double Safety Straps, 155 

To Prevent Pawing in the Stall, .• 159 

To Prevent Kicking in the Stall, 159 

Whirling a Horse by his Tail, 160 

A Horse that Switches his Tail, 161 

Educating Horses not to Fear Fire Crackers, 162 

Educating a Horse not to Fear Umbrellas and Paper, 163 

A Vicious Kicker and Plunger, 164 

A Last Resort for a Bad Kicker, 165 

To Keep a Horse's Tongue in his Mouth, 165 

Teaching a Horse to Stand to Fire, ....••••..... 166 



PA01 

frof. treason's Famous Revolver, 1G7 

Leading Horses in Battle, 168 

To Clean Collars, 169 

Double Draw Check Rein, • 170 

Rig for Fence Jumpers, 171 

To Prevent a Horse from Tearing his Blanket, 172 

Grooming the Horse, . .......... 174 

Gleason's Simple Riding Bridle, 176 

A Gentleman's Road Horse, •• 177 

A Good Business Horse, 177 

Driving a Plunger in Double Harness 179 

Clipping, 180 

The Celebrated " Gleason Bridle," 181 

The Bridle in Use, 182 

One Good Form for Using the Gleason Bridle, 183 

The Gleason "Eureka" Bridle, 184 

A Rope " Bonaparte " Bridle, 185 

The Forward Action of the Bonaparte Bridle, 186 

Gleason's Break Harness, 187 

Gleason's Break Harness in Parts, 188 

A Breaking Sulky, 189 

The Single Foot Strap, 190 

The Guy Line in Use, 191 

Teaching a Horse to Pull in Harness, 192 

Shooting Over the Horse's Back, 193 

Throwing the Horse, 196 

The Upper and Lower Jaws, ....*.... 228 

The Foal's Jaw at Birth, 229 

The Mouth of a Colt Two Weeks Old, 230 

The Mouth of a Colt Six Weeks Old, 230 

Tke Front Teeth of a Colt at Nine Months 281 



PAG* 

Jaw of a Colt at One Year, 231 

Jaw of a Colt at Two Years, 232 

A Colt's Mouth at Two Years, 232 

A Colt's Mouth at Two and One-Half Years, 233 

A Colt's Mouth at Three Years, 233 

A Colt's Jaw at Three Years, 234 

A Horse's Jaw at Four Years, 234 

A Horse's Mouth at Four Years, 235 

A Horse's Mouth at Four and One-Half Years, 235 

The Mouth at Five Years, 236 

The Mouth at Six Years, 236 

The Mouth at Seven Years, 237 

The Mouth at Eight Years, 237 

The Mouth at Twenty Years, 238 

The Mouth at Thirty Years, 238 

Pulling a Horse's Teeth 240 

Shoes to Prevent Interfering and Overreaching 244 

A Foot Shod for Quarter Crack or Bad Corn, 246 

A Foot Shod for Toe or Sand-Crack, 247 

A Driving or Saddle Horse's Foot Properly Shod, 248 

A Toe Tip, 249 

Effects of the Soaking Tub, 250 

A Foot After a Long Campaign on the Turf, 252 

Oleason's 14-Ounce Shoe, 253 

A Perfect Foot, 255 

A Foot Perfectly Shod, 256 

Moistening the Cornet of the Foot 260 

A Toe-Weight Shoe, , 262, 

Non-Paddling Shoe, * 262 

A Foot Ready for the Shoe, 263 

Front View of Scoop-Toe Shoe, ,,,,... 263 



turn 

A Hind Foot Shoe for Rolling Motion, 263 

Sido- Weight Shoe for Hind Foot, 2G3 

The Charlier Tip, 264 

Right and Wrong Fitting, 264 

Sound and Contracted Feet, 265 

Nail Driving, 265 

Quarter-Crack and Remedies, 266 

Foundered Feet, 267 

Ring Bone and Navicular Disease, .... c 268 

A Sling in Use, 328 •"" 

Position of Heart and Diaphragm, ..„ 33g 

Position of th« Left Lung, ....,,..-, 364 

Medal Presented to Professor Gleason by the Mayor of Buffalo, N. Y., . . 433 



FULL-FAGE LITHOGRAPHIC PLATES. 



Anatomy of the Horse's Foot, 260 

The Superficial Layer of Muscles, 274 

The Circulatory Apparatus, . . » 290 

The Digestive Apparatus, 320 

FULL-PAGE HALF-TONE PORTRAITS. 

Flying Jib, 2.05f, by Algona-Middletown Mare, . ' 4:>0 

Martha Wilkes, 2.08, by Alcyone-Ella, 422 

Mascot, 2.04, by Deceive-Miss Elmore, 434 

Vladimir, Percheron-Norman Draught Horse, 42b' 

Nancy Hanks, 2.04, by Happy Medium-Nancy Lee (showing ball-bearing, 

pneumatic tired sulky), 428 

Maud S., the late Queen of the Turf (showing old style wooden racing 

sulky), 430 

Morello, Winner of the Futurity Stakes, 1S92, 432 

2 



s 



History of the Horse. 



From the earliest ages this noble animal has been the friend 
and companion of man. Prized for his beauty, loved for his 
docility, and valued for his strength, he has ever been regarded 
as the highest in value and importance of all domesticated 
animals. In the remotest ages, as far back as authentic history 
discloses anything of the life and pursuits of man, we find that 
the horse occupied a prominent position in his service. Painters 
have pictured on their canvass the majesty and grace of the 
spirited animal. Poets have celebrated his strength and beauty 
in their verses, and even inspired writers have introduced 
amongst their most glowing descriptions the horsemen and 
chariots which formed a chief feature in the pomp and magnifi- 
cence of those early days. 

In the most ancient hieroglyphics we find him present, and 
always so represented as to show that, even in the remote an- 
tiquity from which they date, he had been brought into com- 
plete and serviceable subjection. In the oldest Egyptian paint- 
ings the horse is seen only in the waf chariot, and in the de- 
scriptions of the siege of Troy only the Charioteer appears, 
from which it has been supposed that the first horses used by 
the Greeks were too small to be conveniently ridden. But in 
the lately-discovered paintings in the palace of Nimrod, at Nine- 
veh, disinterred by Layard, and supposed to be more than three 
thousand years old, horsemen are exhibited both in the chase 
and in war. 

But further back than even those distant times, in the a^es 



-10- 

where authentic history merges into the shadowy light, amidst 
which myth and fable mingle with the real, we find this noble 
animal figuring, but .then exalted into a semi-human sphere. 
The Centaurs, who inhabited the passes of Mts. Pelion and 
Ossa, and the great plains of Thessaly, in Upper Greece, were 
probably a race resembling in many respects the Tartars of 
this age, and are supposed to have been the first who brought 
the horse into subjection to man. They were fabled as being 
half horse and half man. They are represented as perfect 
horses in all respects below and behind the withers and the 
chest ; there, at the insertion of the neck, began human a body, 
the hip-joints articulating into the shoulders of the lower animal, 
and the abdomen of the man passing gradually into the chest of 
the horse. Above this the human form was perfect, with the 
erect bearing, chest, shoulders, arms, neck and head of a com- 
plete man. They were reputed to be possessed cf extraordinary 
mental as well as physical powers, and to be as superior to or- 
dinary men in wisdom and art as they were in fieetness and 
strength. They were evidently a tribe of horsemen whom the 
ignorance and superstition of that early period elevated into a 
superior race, in the supposition that the horse and man were 
united in one. Everything points to them as being the first 
who succeeded in breaking and using the horse. 

Coming down to the times of authenic history, we find the 
Parthians to have been among the most renowned for their skill 
in training and using the horse. Their feats of horsemanship 
in battle showed a complete mastery of the animal, which in 
their battles with the Komans, rendered them so efficient as 
mounted archers. 

Frequently, in ancient paintings, the mounted steed is repre- 
sented without a bridle, and the Numidian cavalry are said to 
have guided and restrained their horses without it ; an assertion 
by no mean3 improbable, as a Comanche Indian of the present 
day will frequently jump en the back of a wild and untrained 
horse, and guide him by the simple expedient of covering with 
his hand the eye of the animal on the side opposite to that in 
which he wishes to direct it. 



-II- 

In modern times the horse has been so closely associated with 
man that he appears in every phase of society, and it is only 
when his numerous uses are considered that wo realize how 
greatly the human family is his debtor. The knight of the 
days of chivalry would have been impossible but for the trusty 
steed which bore him so gallantly in the lists at the tourney, 
and amidst the deadlier strife of the battle. Before the plow and 
at the harrow he has multiplied the productions of the earth a 
hundred-fold beyond what human strength alone could have so- 
cured. Laboring before the loaded wagon, he has been a steady 
drudge for man. Harnessed to the elegant equipage or the hum- 
bler " cab," or bearing along the dusty highway the stage-coach 
he has performed a thousand offices indispensable to human 
comfort and advancement. It is not too much to claim for him 
that civilization itself would have been shorn of something of its 
present fair proportions but for the valuable services rendered 
by this noble animal. 

Yet, with all his acknowledged value, the horse has been too 
frequently the victim of neglect and cruelty ; often ill-fed, poorly 
sheltered, and harshly treated, till, in many cases, the innate 
nobleness of his nature has been obscured by vicious habits, con- 
tracted through the mismanagement or abuse to which he has 
been subjected, and perpetuated by ignorance and prejudice. 
Naturally, the horse is usually gentle and confiding ; he is quick 
to perceive, and possesses an excellent memory, which qualities 
render him capable of being educated easily, and to an extent far 
greater than is generally supposed. Added to this, he is capable 
of deep and lasting attachment. 

What the horse may have been in his natural state is not 
known, as none at present exist in that condition. The horses 
which at the present day are found in a wild state in Northern 
Asia and America, are known to be the descendants of individ- 
uals formerly domesticated. On the prairies of the West, the 
pampas of South America, and the plains of Tartary, they live 
in troops, roaming at large, without fixed place of abode, seek- 
ing the richest pasturages by day, and resting at night in dry 
and sheltered situations ; these large troops, which have lived ia* 



dependency for many generations, entirely exempt from the in' 
fluence of man, probably afford a tolerably correct idea of what 
the primeval animal was. They are generally smaller, yet 
stronger, than the domesticated animal, with rougher coats, 
stronger limbs, and larger heads. Even when adult, the wild 
horse is easily domesticated, and may be broken to any use 
without great difficulty, thus proving the natural gentleness and 
docility of his nature. They are captured by the lasso, bitted, 
mounted, and broken within an hour by the daring and skillful 
Gauchos. 

The Arabians, long renowned for their attachment to tha 
horse, early showed the extent to which intelligent training 
could develop his finer qualities, and render him the most docile 
and obedient of animals. Something in that country or its cli- 
mate is especially suited to the development of the horse, and, 
although introduced there long after his domestication in other 
eastern countries, he rapidly attained a degree of excellence 
which surpassed all others, until the horses of Arabia and the 
adjacent portions of Asia and Africa became the most celebrated 
for speed, courage, spirit, intelligence and docility of any of the 
equine race. Small in size, he has a beautiful, lean, bony head, 
with a very broad forehead, a tapering muzzle, and large, well- 
opened nostrils; his mane is very long, thin and silky. It is 
from the Arabian horse, crossed with the Barb, that the best 
stock of England and America has sprung. Although much of 
the superiority of these horses is attributable to peculiarly favor- 
able conditions of the country where they originated, yet many 
of their excellent qualities may be traced to kindness and intel- 
ligent training by which those qualities were first developed, 
and through which they have been transmitted until they have 
become characteristics of the race. 

The Arabian understands the value of his horse, appreciates 
the nobility of his nature, and treats him accordingly. They 
kiss and caress them ; they adorn them with jewels, and amulets 
formed out of sentences of f he Koran, as a preservative against 
evil and accidents. " In short," says a modern author, " they 
treat them almost like rational beings, which are ready to sac- 



-13-~ 

few 

riS.ce dlheir lives for their master's benefit." In the desert lie if 
the familiar comrade, tentmate and playmate of his master, as 
docile and intelligent as a dog. Rev. V. Monro elates an anec- 
dote of an Arab, " the net value of whose dress and accoutre- 
ments might be calculated at something under seventeen ponce 
half-penny," who refused all offers made to purchase a beautiful 
mare on which he rode, declaring that he loved the animal better 
than his own life. The French author, Dr. St. Pierre, quotes a 
remarkable instance of the attachment an Arabian feels for his 
horse : " The whole stock of a poor Arabian of the desert con- 
sisted of a most beautiful mare. The French Consul at Said 
offered to purchase her, with an intention of sending her to his 
master, Louis XIV. The Arab, pressed by want, hesitated for 
a long time, but at length consented, on condition of receiving a 
very considerable sum, which he named. The Consul, not daring, 
without instructions, to give so high a prize, wrote to Ver- 
sailles for permission to close the bargain on the terms stipu- 
lated. Louis XIV gave orders to pay the money. The Consul 
immediately sent notice to the Arab, who soon after made his 
appearance mounted on his magnificent courser, and the gold 
he had demanded was paid down to him. The Arab, covered 
with a miserable rag, dismounted and looked at the money ; then 
turning his eyes to the mare, he thus accosted her : ' To whom 
am I going to yield thoe up ? To Europeans, who will tie thee 
close, who will beat thee, who will render thee miserable. Re- 
turn with me, my beauty, my darling, my jewel, and rejoice the 
hearts of my children !' As he pronounced these words, he 
sprung upon her back and scampered off towards the desert." 

It is not surprising that such a high appreciation of and fond- 
ness for this noble animal, united to an intelligent training, 
has resulted in the production of a race of horses unrivaled in 
excellence. But among Europeans and Americans the treat- 
ment of the horse has been usually so harsh, and the mode of 
training so deficient in intelligence, as to greatly lessen his 
value, even where a brutal ignorance has not brought into 
activity every vice latent in his nature. Of the numerous faults 
ascribed to the horse a very small portion are chargeable to his 



-14- 

natural disposition, the remainder being the direct result of 
vicious training, or rather of the absence of training, and the 
substitution of something which, under that name, first produces 
and then fosters the faults for which the animal is punished ; 
while often the punishment is ineffectual, because the animal 
has no conception of why it is made to suffer. 

Education is as essential to the hoi-se as it is to man, and in 
each case it must proceed on the same general principles. The 
first grand lesson to be learned by each is that of subjection to 
authority ; the child is taught that by his parent ; the horse 
must learn it from his trainer. But, after that, knowledge is re- 
quired, and this must be imparted by methods adapted to the 
nature that is to be cultivated. The object of this book is to 
show in what that knowledge consists and how it may be com- 
municated to the horse, and so impressed upon his memory that 
it will never be forgotten. The methods of breaking and train- 
ing the horse, herein taught, will, if early applied, prevent his 
acquring any of the faults which, under former systems, have 
proved so numerous ; while the treatment recommended for cor. 
recting bad habits, already formed, will prove effectual in even 
the most stubborn cases, and with the most intractable disposi- 
tions. The reader will not be asked to accept any unproved 
theory, but will be instructed in a system which, although sub- 
jected to the severest tests, has never failed to accomplish the 
desired results. That it may require patience and self-control 
on the part of the instructor cannot be denied ; but so does the 
instruction of a child, the breaking of a dog to the gun, or even 
the training of a vine to its trellis ; but the satisfactory results 
which are certain to be attained will furnish an ample reward. 



Intelligence of the Horse. 



In discussing the intelligence of animals I am aware that 
many persons, at the outset, would question the propriety of 
the term. Man has so long arrogated the exclusive possession 
of mind, or at least of a mind capable of rational reflection, that 
he is reluctant to concede the fact of its possession by the lower 
orders of animal life. Those acts which, in the brute creation, 
seem to proceed from the action of powers analagous to human 
intelligence, it has been usual to ascribe to an irrational faculty 
called instinct ; a power invariable and despotic in its action, 
but in no degree the result of reflection ; some metaphysicians 
even going so far as to assert that the action of animals is 
purely automatic, the difference in this respect between them 
and the automaton moved by wires and springs being that the 
former possess a consciousness of their acts, while the latter 
does not. Facts in myriads, exist which challenge the correct- 
ness of such a theory, while in almost number they assert the 
existence, at least in its embryonic state, of a mind capable of 
thought, and, to a limited degree, of reflection and comparision, 
with the ability to deduce conclusions from the facts which it 
considers. 

This intelligence varies greatly in the different animal races, 
in some species being barely perceptible, while in others it is 
too conspicuous to be ignored ; and between individuals of the 
pinie species there exists a difference so marked that, in the 
*aore favored ones which come under our observation, the in- 



-16- 

telligence is so clear as to almost startle us by the feeling that 
behind the full, liquid eye of the horse, or prompting the fixed 
gaze bent on us by our trusty canine companion, there may be 
a mind kindred to our own and which lacks only the power of 
articulate expression to respond to our thoughts by answering 
sentiments. It is the absence of the power of speech in animals 
(which leaves us in doubt as to the exact degree of intelligence 
possessed by them. If, when the farmer says, "Carlo ! the cows 
arc in the corn— turn them out I" the dog should turn his head 
and reply, " Yes, sir, I'll have them out in a moment !" there 
could be no doubt of the intelligent interchange of thought. 
But the fact of his doing that which in the supposed case he 
would express, proves as conclusively his comprehension of the 
command and his purpose to obey. 

The horse or dog, however fully he may understand the direc- 
tions he reeeives, can give no other response than by his acts, 
and to words of praise or censure he can reply only by signs ; 
these are clearly understood by us and show that our meaning 
is comprehended by the animal, proving a real interchange of 
thought. A popular author has said. "A dog may bark, a 
horse may neigh, but it not by these sounds that they express 
the delicate shades of ever-varying emotion ; it is by a thousand 
varieties of gesture which few of us indeed can analyze but 
which all clearly understand. A dog converses with his master 
by means of his eyes and his ears and his tail, nay by every 
muscle of his body." 

To test the existence and extent of intelligence we must deter- 
mine the capacity for comprehending thought. We reeog-, 
nize this capacity in a child long before it can express itself in 
language. Its dawn is seen as the infant learns to associate cer- 
tain articulate sounds with certain persons, acts, or things, and 
to distinguish the meaning of tones which encourage, restrain 
or chide it. It is only after a twelve-month or more of constant 
tuition, lovingly and intelligently given, that our children begin 
to express in language the tnoughts which are awakened by our 
words and acts, yet the comprehension is as evident and the re- 
sponse as apparent before that time, for the whole mental pro* 



—17- 



«*> was perfect long before. The same teste which prove the 
mte hgence of the child demonstrate its existence in^mals 
Theio is a similar power of comprehending the wishes ex- 
pressed, by associating certain artienlate sounds wi7h cTrta^ 
ac s reqmred as well as an eqnal recognition of the tones of 
voce by which approval, reproof or anger are made known; 
but lacking the organs of speech, they are debarred, and forever 
must be, from any except the most limited interchange of thoutrht 
b or tins reason, attentive study is needed in ascertaining the ex- 

l^I a ;"h 7 em mPrehen<1 aDd ""«**«» hgence 

Jl , the , CaS r e ° f wUd OT domesticated animals there is little 
opportunity for investigating this interesting subject. A?e see 

SfjT^ bU '' d k W 1 dam ' and W ° ""derstand the object so a 2 
nurably attained by his work. We know that the elephant, to 
be taken m the pitfall, must see on the earth that covers it the 
foot-prints of one of his fellows, and we surmise the process of 
reasoning by which he concludes that he is safe in venturing 
where another of his kind has trodden. We learn that the 
ostrich which ,n torrid regions truste to the heat of the sand for 

nlivTh fi H 0n , 0f , he ; eg88 ' Wi " m a more temperate latitude 
supply the heat which would else be lacking by setting on her 
eggs during the cooler nights; but in none of these, nor in a 
^1/* rCa l e9 ' in 7 Uich there seems a rational foresight, 
tt„ r ^ rmm . e h0W , &r th6 «* r » nB fr o°> intelligent reL- 
IZ ir o-omest'eated animals, and especially in such as are 
trained for the service of man, the action of intelligence may be 
*/ Iy 'T!' '* 18 demonstrated by the ease and certainty 
w th which they can be educated; it is seen in the readiness 
with which many receive and act npon ideas communicated to 
them; and in a multitude of instances the mental process is 
evident by which they have, independently, reached concluTons 
rationally deduced from facts of their previous knowledge 

Mr. J. Hopes relates a circumstance of a terrier who had been 

TEE? Tb'{ ^ maSt t T ^ tUe °™ ° f * Mra ' La "ford at 
6t. Albans. This lady owned a large house-dog which, disliking 
the presence ot the stranger, quarreled with him, biting and 



-18- 

eeverely wounding him, after which the terrier disappeared ; but 
in a few days he returned again, accompanied by a powerful 
mastiff, when both together fell upon the original assailant, 
whom they nearly killed. The mastiff was the watch dog at his 
master's house, more than a day's journey distant, and had been 
brought by the terrier for the sole purpose of avenging the in- 
jury he had received, after which they left in company and 
proceeded together to their home. Here was displayed a power 
of combining ideas and of communicating them to one of his 
kind, when the two acted on the plan they had preconcerted. 

In a work just issued, an anecdote is related of a dog who had 
lost his master and afterwards became old and blind, passing his 
time sadly in the same corner, which he rarely quitted. " One 
day came a step like that of his lost master, and he suddenly 
left his place. The man who had just entered wore ribbed 
stockings as his master had done. The old dog had lost his 
scent and referred at once to his stockings that he remembered, 
rubbing his face against them. Believing that his master had 
returned, he gave way to the most extravagant delight. The 
man spoke ; the momentary illusion was dispelled, the dog went 
sadly back to his place, and lay wearily down." Here was 
a double process of reasoning and even a balancing of testimony 
with a decision that the negative evidence of the strange voice 
outweighed the affirmative proof in the step and the stockings. 

Much evidence favors the belief that animals not only be- 
come familiar with the words habitually addressed to them, but 
that they, to a certain extent, understand our language. A dog, 
belonging to a friend of the writer, would slink from the room 
with every indication of shame if a fault of which he had been 
guilty was spoken of in his presence. The author of " Chapters 
on Animals" describes a dog in his possession which clearly 
distinguishes between those visitors at the house who are favor- 
ites with his master and those whom he dislikes, and adds: 
" I know not how he discovers these differences in my feelings, 
except it be by overhearing remarks when the guests are gone. " 

The elephant, though one of the clumsiest of animals, exhibits 
marks of high intelligence, and evidently understands the Ian- 



guage in which he is addressed. He can be stimulated to un» 
usual exertions by the promise of a reward. " I have seen," 
says a French writer, " two occupied in beating down a wall 
which their keepers had desired them to do and encouraged them 
by a promise of fruits and brandy." They were left alone and 
continued at the work, stimulated by the promised reward, until 
it was accomplished. " When a reward is promised to an 
elephant," says the same author, " it is dangerous to disappoint 
him, as he never fails to revenge the insult." Nothing of this 
could occur without an understanding of the language. 

In India they were formerly employed to launch vessels, and 
it is related that one being directed to force a large ship into 
the water, the task proved beyond his strength ; whereupon his 
master, in a sarcastic tone, ordered the keeper to take away 
this lazy beast and bring another ; the poor animal, as if stung 
by shame, instantly repeated his efforts, fractured his skull 
and died on the spot. 

It may be said that the tones of the voice rather than the 
words are what the animal understands, yet a dog knows his 
name however spoken, and a horse understands a whole voca- 
bulary of orders. But the intelligence which comprehends the 
meaning of a tone, is not less than that required to understand 
a word or sentence. Mr. Hamerton, the artist, widely known as 
a lover of animals, mentions a favorite dog which met an un- 
timely death by drowning, and in his lament over his lost pet, 
says: "He was a dog of rare gifts, exceptionally intelligent, 
who would obey a look where another needed an order. He 
would sit studying his master's face and had become from care- 
ful observation so acute a physiognomist that he read whatever 
thoughts of mine had any concern for him." 

The shrewd intelligence of our countrymen is nowhere more 
clearly seen than in the keen bargains the New Englander is 
famous for driving. But our domestic animals make bargaius 
with us and sometimes resolutely keep us to them. On this 
point a pleasant writer relates an anecdote of a favorite mare 
who was so difficult to catch in the pasture as to often require 
six men to effect it; "but," says he, ' I carried corn to her for 



-20- 

a long time, without trying to take her, leaving her the corn on 
the ground. Next, I induced her to eat the corn while I held it 
still leaving her free. Finally I persuaded her to follow me, and 
now she will come trotting half a mile at my whistle, leaping 
ditches, fording brooks, in the darkness and rain, or in impene- 
trable fog. She follows me like a dog to the stable and I admin- 
ister the corn there. But it is a bargain ; she knowingly sella 
her liberty for the corn. The experiment of reducing the To- 
ward to test her behavior having been tried, she ceased to obey 
the whistle and resumed her former habits ; but the full and due 
quantity having been restored, she yielded her liberty again 
without resistance, and since then she is not to be cheated." 

A horse which is regularly used for attending church, will, 
from its own observation, learn to recognize the Sabbath and un- 
derstand the meaning of the church bells. The following inter- 
esting illustration of this fact is authenticated by the Hartford 
Post: 

" A pair of horses that had been used during the week in 
team-work to Springfield, on Sunday were harnessed and driven 
to the door unhitched, and, the family being rather tardy that 
morning, as soon as the second bell began to ring the horses 
started off alone, and with their usual Sunday motion went up in 
front of the church, when, after waiting the usual time, they 
quietly went around under the horse-shed." 

Here the horses plainly understood the distinction between that 
day and the six previous ones when they had been driven to 
8pringfield, else they would have gone, after starting, to where 
they had been going through the week ; they also evidently un- 
derstood that at the ringing of the second bell it was time to 
start for church. The gentleman who communicated the fore- 
going adds an instance which occurred in his own family : 

"The father of the writer, owing to increasing infirmities, 
rode alone to meeting, half a mile, driving an old grey mare 
twenty years old, and had not failed of going every Sabbath for 
some years. On one occasion, owing to a fall, he could not go to 
meeting, and on Sunday morning, as the time for meeting ap- 
proached, the horse, in a lot near the house, manifested great 



-21- 

uueasiness, and when the second bell struck she leaped over the 
fence and trotted quietly to church, stopping at her usual hitch- 
ing-place, under an old elm tree, until the close of the service, 
when the faithful animal returned safely to the house." 

When we remember that such exhibitions of intelligence occur 
continually where the animals have received no training on the 
subjects to which they relate, it seems certain that they are the 
result of a mental process which strongly resembles thought, and 
we would expect, from patient culture, displays of intelligence 
greatly in advance of those ordinarily taking place. Such an 
expectation is justified by the results which have followed train- 
ing when directed to this end. In a paper entitled "Canine 
Guests," Philip Gilbert Hamerton gives an account of the trained 
dogs of M. du Rouil which, but for the unimpeachable veracity 
of the writer, would be almost incredible. M. du Rouil began to 
educate his first dog out of curiosity to see the effect of the sort 
of education which seemed to him best adapted for establishing 
a close understanding between the human and canine minds ; the 
results astonished himself and were so gratifying that he sub- 
sequently educated two others on the same principles. Two of 
these dogs, "Blanche" and "Lyda," with thdir master, were gueste 
of Mr. Hamerton, and the intelligence they exhibited, and which 
he describes, is, by his own admission, "incredible," yet may be 
so only because of our ignorance of the nature and extent of the 
mental powers belonging to the animal creation. Among the 
many feats performed by them were the spelling of words by 
lettered cards; the correction of words purposely misspelled; 
the working out of simple problems in arithmetic and the playing 
Of cards and dominoes. Of" the latter, Mr. Hamerton says: 
"Both the dog3 played a game at dominoes. This was managed 
as follows : the dogs sat on chairs opposite each other, and took 
up the domino that was wanted ; but the master placed it in its 
position and kept announcing the state of the game. Their dis- 
tress when they could not go on without drawing from the bank 
was announced in piteous whines, and amused us all exceedingly. 
Lyda was the loser, and precipitately retreated to hide herself 
with an evident consciousness of defeat." 



—22 — 

An incident occurred in the course of the evening which 
ehowed some understanding of language. A little girl wanted 
Blanche to come to her, but the dog kept away, on which M. du 
Rouil said, "Blanche, go salute the little girl !" She immediately 
went up to the child and made a formal obeisance. 

The owner of Blanche stated that he was going home one night 
accompanied by the dog and on his way saw a man who was 
searching for some object that he had lost. "What are you seek- 
ing?" he asked. The man answered that he had lost 280 francs. 
"Possibly my dog may be able to find them for you ; have you 
any money left ? If you have, show her a piece of gold." It was 
done and the dog directed to search. She at once set out and 
eoon returned, bringing first one piece of gold, then another, 
and then a bank-note, till the whole sum that had been lost was 
regained. 

M. du Rouil said that Blanche really knew all the letters and 
the playing-cards by their names, and Lyda really knew all the 
figures. In addition to this Blanche had studied about one 
hundred and fifty words in different languages, something like 
twenty in each language. So it was with Lyda and the figures. 
She knew each one by its name, and would bring the one called 
for. In describing the earlier stages of training through which 
these dogs had passed, their owner said the first thing was to 
make the dog fetch an object, the next to make him discriminate 
between one of two very different objects placed together, and 
bring one or the other as it was mentioned by its name. In be- 
ginning the alphabet he put t^o most dissimilar letters side by 
side to begin with, such as an O and an I, avoiding the confusion 
of similar ones, such as O and Q, or B and R. Gradually the 
dog became observant enough to discriminate between letters in 
which the difference was not so marked. M. du Rouil said he 
had found the greatest difficulty in teaching Blanche to dis- 
tinguish between the knaves and kings in playing-cards, 
but that she learned the aces very promptly. When he was 
asked what after his ten yetrs' experience, was his opinion 
©f the intelligence of dogs, he answered, with great emphasis, 
"it is infinite." 



^23- 

In subsequent pages I shall set forth my method of educating 
horses for common usefulness and to perform a variety of feats, 
and from the ideas thus imparted the reader may multiply the 
number of tricks to any desired limit. 




Educating the Horse. 



New Method of Haltering a Vicious or Wild Colt. 




New Method of Haltering a Tioions Colt. 

Having directed my attention for many years to compiling a 
system of educating the horse, and traveling over twenty-five 
States of the Union, together with nearly all the cities and 
towns in the Provinces of Ontario and Quebec, during the past 
eight years, it is highly improbable that few, if any, men are 



-25- 



better prepared to impart instruction o* to give direction with 
regard to the management of the horse than myself. 

I deem it advisable to give special directions to those who 
raise colts, not only as to their manner of treatment and educa- 
tion but knowing full well the difficulty sometimes attending 
the first haltering of wild colts, I have prepared the accom- 
panying plate as illustrative of my method, and now proceed to 
give directions which, if strictly followed will insure success 

Take a pole about ten feet long; drive a nail near the end 
then drive another about fifteen inches from it ; now take a rope' 
halter, and hang the part that goes on the top of the head on 
these nails ; then enlarge the nose-piece, by means of the slir>- 
noose, sufficiently to allow it to slip on easily, observing to hold 
the halter stale in your hands with the pole; approach your 
colt with great care, and allow him to smell of the halter and 
in a few minutes, he will yield to your advances, and allow you' 
to place the halter on him without much difficulty. Make the 
shank or stele of the halter about three times the ordinary 
length, for, as soon as he finds himself caught, he will use his 
beet exertions to get away from you. 

To Educate the Horse to the Words "Come Here." 

Place a Comanche bridle on the horse, made as follows: take 
a small cord about sixteen feet long, tie the end around the neck 
firmly so that it cannot slip; then double your cord, placing it 
under the neck, from the shoulder to the mouth; step back at 
the side of your horse, and say " Come here ;" at the same time 
give him a sharp jerk, and he will swing around to you- when 
he comes, caress him with your hand on the shoulder; now re- 
peat the same on opposite side, remembering to caress each 
tune; do this four or five times, and you will find that your 
horse will obey and fully understand the words "come here" 
Always speak the words with a distinct and commanding tone of 

I desire that the reader may understand that obedience in the 
horse is accomplished by pain; so, when you inflict pain £ 



-26- 

oompanied by a word the horse is made to understand that the 
words mean pain ; and rather than suffer pain, he cheerfully 
obeys the word. 

Persons have practiced the foregoing idea and succeeded in ac- 
complishing their purpose and have, no doubt, been highly 
gratified that their horse was so intelligent, yielding obedience 
to their efforts in a very short time ; now had the owner known 
that a foundation for a complete education was properly laid 
how easily could he have built a superstructure thereon that 
would have been permanent and beneficial during the life of the 
animal. Men are often conceited and think that because they 
have experienced no difficulty in the past in breaking and 
handling their horses, therefore all will be sunshine in the future. 
A careful perusal of this work will supplant their conceit as they 
gain the knowledge of a practical system of properly educating 
the horse. 

How to Get a Horse Up that Throws Himself. 

Animals are often sulky, and quickly acquire the habit of ly- 
ing down. Balky horses, when urged to go, will lie down and 
refuse to get up, and an ox will sometimes lie down in the fur- 
row when before the plough. When the habit is thoroughly set- 
tled, it becomes very annoying to the owner or driver, who often 
resorts to severe means, but fails to accomplish the end desired ; 
therefore, to prevent violence and ill-treatment, I give the easy 
and simple remedy subjoined, which, when adopted, will be 
found to be practical and never-failing. 

Raise the animal's head up, as illustrated in the foregoing 
plate, and pour into his nostril a small quanity of water, not to 
exceed a pint, from a pitcher or cup, and you will be amused by 
the pleasing result : the animal will rise to his feet as quickly 
as it is possible for him to do so ; he has the same sensation as 
if he were drowning, and will extricate himself with all speed. 

Simple as is this expedient, it is yet unfailing in its efficacy ; 
and that which most commends it to the acceptance of kind- 
hearted men is the absence of all cruelty in its application. No 
pain is caused, but the unusual sensation^ together with the 



-27- 

necessity for air on the part of the horse, banishes his former 
feeling of sulkiness or anger and he yields to the almost irresist- 
ible impulse to spring to his feet and free his nostrils of the 
water. 

If any one who has never applied this remedy should doubt 
its power, he only needs to try the experiment in a mild way on 
himself, when he will realize its power upon the horse. 

I believe it would be impossible to devise another method so 
free from pain, so harmless to the horse, and yet so thoroughly 
efficacious as is the one here given. 

To Educate a Colt to Drive before being Harnessed. 

Place on him the Bonaparte bridle, as shown in engraving, 
with your cord in the left hand and whip in the right ; the oord 
referred to should be about eighteen feet long ; now drive him 
around a circle to the right about fifteen minutes ; then drive 
him to the left about the same time. You have now educated 
your colt to drive, and may with safety put on your harness, 
observing to put the reins through the shaft tugs at his side ; 
then commence driving him carefully for some fifteen minutes 
on a walk, turning him to the right and left as before directed. 
Do not use the whip more than sufficient to give him a knowl- 
edge of its use. Never drive a colt without blinders. It is bet- 
ter to first hitch him to a sulky or a cart, and do not put on 
breechings, but allow the cross-bar frequently to come against 
his heels, so that he may never be afraid, or learn to kick. Never 
forget, when your colt is obedient, to stop him, and walk up to 
and caress him. 

I am unwilling to pass on to another article without more 
fully impressing on the minds of those who raise or break 
colts the necessity of kind and careful usage in educating their 
animals. Never approach your colt quickly. Never pull the 
halter or bridle off quickly. Always handle the colt's ears with 
great care. Never punish him on the body with anything but a 
whip, and with it as seldom as possible, as many colts become 
sulky and show signs of balking when severely whipped. It is 
better that you should give your colt two or three lessons each 



-28- 
day, as heretofore directed, at intervals of say two hours apart 
by this means you do not overtax his brain nor cause him to get 
weary. In this, as in many other cases, the wisest course is to 
" make haste slowly." 

How to Educate a Colt to Move his Body when he 
Moves his Head. 

Place on the bridle, then the harness ; carry the reins 
through the shaft tug ; take your position behind the horse (see 
engravings) ; now commence to drive, turning him around fre- 
quently, first to the rights then to the left, and he will quickly 
understand to move his body when he moves his head. By this 
means you are educating to the shafts, and educating not to be 
afraid of his heels, thus thoroughly breaking your horse at both 
sides and both ends. 




ttdueatlng a Oolt to Move hi* Body when fee Moves bis Heat. 



-29- 

Afber your colt has been driven two or three times, as above 
described, educate him to obey the word " whoa:" let him walk 
along smartly, then speak plainly, with audible voice, and say 
"whoa;" at the same time pull on the reins with some' force; 
when he stops, caress him ; repeat this a few times, and, in the 
short space of fifteen minutes, you will have taught him the use 
of the word. Now your horse is educated to drive and stop at 
the word of command. 

The next thing in order is to teach him to back. To accom- 
plish this, grasp your reins firmly, aud with a determined effort ; 
apeak firmly, making use of the word " back," at the same time 
pulling with all your might; if he obeys the first time, step up 
and caress him ; if not, increase the power by inviting one or 
more of your friends to assist on the reins, being fully deter- 
mined to accomplish your purpose. As soon as he obeys, don't 
fail to caress him, and by this process you will educate your 
horse to the word, which he will never forget. 

Your colt being educated, you may now hitch him up to a> 
vehicle, observing to drive him very slow, only a walk, and after 
thus driving him a few times, you can with certainty say that 
you have a thoroughly educated horse, whose value will be 
greatly increased, compared with the old or any other system of 
breaking the colt. Alvaayz observing to drive your colt with 
blinders, only using the whip enough to let him know the use of 
it. Be kind to your animal, never using harsh means, and he 
will reward your kindness by implicit obedience. 

Instructions to Ride the Colt. 

Take a small cord, ten to twelve feet long, divide it in the cen- 
tre ; then place the centre back of the ears, cross it in the mouth, 
then bring both ends along the neck of the withers, and tie a 
knot, thus forming a powerful bridle, sufficient to ride the most 
vicious animal. 

Sacred history contains the declaration that there is " the 
bridle for the horse, the whip for the ass, and the rod for the 
fooPs back," and, while writing my book, I have often thought 
of the first portion of that quotation. The power of the bridle 



!n controlling the horse is really wonderful, and the new forms 
of powerful bridles given in this work enable the most timid 
rider to secure the mastery of the most powerful animal. The 
one described above is excellent, and can never fail to give satis- 
faction when it is used as directed. 

There is no exercise so invigorating and scarcely any so de- 
lightful as the manly one of riding the horse yet three-quarters 
of the pleasure of equestrianism depends on the early training 
of the horse for this delightful exercise. The rider who feels 
that he has beneath him an animal obedient to his slightest wish 
and which responds to a touch of the heel or the lightest pressure 
of the bit, moving to the lifting or the falling of the bridle, such 
a rider feels almost as though the horse on which he sits forms 
a portion of himself, and courses onward with a delightful sense 
of power and freedom. Nearly all of this excellence in a riding- 
horse depends on the way in which he has been educated while 
young. Faults then acquired may be corrected, it is true, in later 
years, yet is far more desirable that they should never have been 
formed, but in place thereof, the qualities secured which form 
the excellence of a horse. 

I throw out these suggestions at this point, for I am now deal- 
ing with the early education of the colt ; later in the book I 
shall have to speak more of faults to be corrected, and it is my 
wish to impress on my reader the great importance of the kind 
of education which the colt receives at his hands. 

To Educate a Horse that Kicks or Paws in the 

Stall. 

First make the Bonaparte bridle, as before directed ; carry 
the cord through a surcingle, attached around the body, back to 
a ring in front of the hind-leg, to which are attached two straps, 
one above and one below the gambol joint of the leg he has the 
habit of kicking with ; thus, when he kicks, he is punished in 
the act, and soon gives up the habit. Pawing — -Continue the 
cord forward to a ring attached to two small straps above and 
below the knee-joint, as seen on engraving, observing, as above 



-3!- 

directed, to attach the appliance to the leg he pawg with, re- 
versing the straps when required, which will give a horse the 




To Preyent a Horse from Kicking or Pawing In the Stall. 

knowledge that when he paws he punishes himself, and the 
reader will see, by this treatment, the habit speedily broken up. 

The habit of kicking in the stall is one that is not only dis- 
agreeable to the owner of the horse addicted to it, but is often 
destructive and costly, as a horse viciously inclined to that 
habit will sometimes even splinter the boards of the stall, and 
with so simple and effective a method of correcting the bad 
habit it should never be tolerated for a single day, and the pos- 
sessor of this book would be inexcusable should he suffer it to 
continue in any animal owned by him. 

The habit of pawing in the stall, though not so vicious in ite 
nature as that of kicking, is yet sufficiently troublesome and un- 
nieaeant to deserve a speedy correction, and the owner of a 



—32- 

horse addicted to even the lastnamed fault will be more than 
compensated for the slight trouble caused in its removal. 

It may seem needless to repeat what has before been said, in 
substance, that the seemingly small faults of a horse are the 
ones which most frequently lessen and impair his usefulness, and 
that the removal of any one, however trifling, adds a money 
value to the horse more than sufficient to compensate for the 
time and trouble expended. 

To Educate a Horse not to get Cast in the Stall. 

Drive a staple in the ceiling over the manger at the side of 
the stall, then another in the ceiling in the center of the stall 




To £du.cste a Horse Not to ©»•». Cast in the Stall. 



over the horse's head ; pass a small cord through the staple at 
the side of the stall ; tie a horseshoe, or the weight of a horse- 



-33- 

shoe, so that the cord will not draw through the staple ; then 
put the cord through the staple in the centre of the stall, hring it 
down within two and a half feet of the floor, and cut it off, at- 
taching a snap to the end ; place a ring in the halter at the top 
of the head, in the center, as seen in engraving. Now, when 
his h?ad raises up, the weight comes down ; when his mouth is 
on the floor he can lie down with ease, but ho cannot get the 
top of his head to the floor ; and, if he cannot get the top of 
his head to the floor, he cannot roll ; and, if he cannot roll, he 
cannot cast. This remedy is simple as it is certain and is always 
perfectly safe. 

The habit of rolling in the stable is one often attended with 
fatel results, in addition to the anxiety experienced by the owner 
of the horse. Various means are resorted to in order to pre- 
vent the animal getting cast, and most of them are wide to the 
mark : and, in order to acquaint the reader with the variety of 
ways practiced, so that he may contrast the difference between 
others and mine, I have thought proper to write more explicitly 
on the subject. 

A favorite idea with many is to tie the halter so short that 
the animal cannot get his mouth near the floor; this renders the 
horse uncomfortable, as he cannot lie down when he desires. 
Another is, hitching the halter-stale at the ceiling directly over 
the head of the animal, and allowing cord enough that he may 
get his mouth on the floor ; this, too, is attended with bad re. 
suits, for when he raises his head up their is sufficient slack in 
the rope so as to permit his getting his foot over the rope and 
becomes so entangled as to render his position dangerous. 

To Educate a Horse that is bad to Catch. 

Horses acquire this habit mainly from improperly turning 
them out ; and, to illustrate, I will give the reader an example- 
First, the man or boy takes his horse to the bars or fence of the 
field, and lots only a portion of either down ; ho now takes off 
the bridle or halter, and, in order to make the horse jump over 
hits him on the rump and shouts at him ; thus the animal is 
made to fear the approach of man when loose; so that, with 



-34- 

this kind of training, it soon becomes difficult to catch, and ta< 
quires education in order to counteract this bad habit. 

Directions : Put on the Bonaparte bridle, and tie a knot at the 
mouth, so as to prevent it from slipping down to his teeth, when 
he might sever the cork ; then carry it up to his mane over the 
shoulder; tie the mane together with a string; then pass the 
cord through the loop thus made with the mane, and carry the 
cord through a loop made in the tail by same means, and let 
your cord lay out behind from ten to fifty feet, as required. 
Now, when you want your horse, go carefully up behind him 
and take a firm hold of the cord, and say " Come here," at the 
same time pulling with all your might. By giving him three 
or four lessons of this kind, you may safely take off the cord 
and go into the field, standing about the same distance as when 
you last pulled on the cord, and repeat the words "come here; 
he will quickly obey your voice, and give you no more trouble 
in catching him. 

When it is remembered how much time is often lost in catch- 
ing a horse in the field, it will be seen that, in money value, this 
simple point of horse education will more than repay the cost of 
this book to the owner of a horse that has heretofore been bad to 
catch ; and the saving of temper as well as time will make the 
improvement in his habits doubly valuable. Both the man and 
the horse are made better by it. 

To Educate a Horse not to Rear under the Saddle or 
before a Carriage. 

Attach a small cord tightly around the swell of the body, tied 
with a loop-knot, and carry it back into the carriage. By doing 
this you prevent your horse from rearing, inasmuch as he is un- 
able to expand his body, and, without doing so, it is impossible 
for him to rear. Simple as is this method, the reader, if he 
should have occasion to practice it, will find the idea of great 
value, as it will never fail to prove effectual in removing this, to 
say the least, unpleasant and often dangerous habit. It is possible 
that the habit might be broken up in other ways, but there are none 
so harmless and easy of application as is the one I have described. 



-35- 

My readers will, I doubt not, receive with kindly feelings not 
only the instructions on the important points of educating their 
horses to break off bad habits, but will profit by the ideas 
and examples given of the various means adopted by horse- 
handlers to create these habits. In the present instance, it is 
rarely, if ever, known that horses acquire the habit of rearing 
themselves, but are prompted so to do by the means used, viz^ 
starting and stopping suddenly; pulling sharply on the reins, 
and then striking the animal with the whip, either of which is 
a sure and certain means of producing the result of causing 
the horse to rear up whenever you desire to move off. 

The inconvenience and unpleasantness of such a habit are too 
plain to need more than a mention, besides its often occasioning 
great alarm to a timid driver; and the simple yet practical 
means I have given for breaking up the habit, will be found suc- 
cessful whenever it is tried, as it always should be where the 
habit exists. 

V To Educate and prevent a Horse from Cribbing. 

Build a manger on the floor or from the floor up. In many 
cases this will prevent a horse from cribbing by getting his 
mouth below his chest. 

Another method, sure to be effective, is to place a piece of sheep- 
skin ©f long wool, eight inches wide and about three feet long, 
or long enough to reach from one side of the stall to the other y 
and on the skin sprinkle cayenne pepper ; take soft soap aud rub 
it on any part of the stall where the horse will be likely to crib. 
If the above instructions are strictly adhered to, and the horse is 
fed regularly, three times a day, there will be little danger of his 
ever becoming a cribber. The slight trouble which this remedy 
involves will be repaid a hundred-fold by the satisfaction felt fa 
the prevention or cure of a most disagreeable habit, and on© 
which, like every other fault, lessens the value of a horse. In 
using the cayenne pepper, a small quantity will be sufficient. 

There are more bad results accruing from cribbing than many 
are aware of. From cribbing the horse may become a crib- 
sucker, which often results in colic, or, au it is sometinioo termed, 



~S6- 

belly-ache. When this occurs of course it becomes a dangerous 
habit, and no one should think it too much trouble to adopt the 
instructions given under this head. Do not think you can erad- 
icate this habit by nailing tin or or iron over the manger ; you 
cannot remove it thus ; your horse may desist for the time be- 
ing, but when put into a stall that is not thus arranged, he will 
relapse into his old habit ; but by adopting this remedy I have 
provided he will be thoroughly taught not to attempt to bite or 
or gnaw the manger. 

There is a wide difference between preventing a horse from 
doing what he still wishes to do, and taking from him the dis- 
position to do wrong ; the latter alone can properly be called 
educaticn, and is the only way in which a bad habit can be per- 
manently removed. On this principle I base my whole system j 
it is education, by appealing to the intelligence of the horse. 

To Educate a Hors© Not to Kick When the Line Gets 
Under His Tail. 

Horses become kickers from various causes, and one most ef- 
fectual in producing the habit, is that when a horse gets th8 rein 
under his tail, his driver, getting provoked, pulls strongly on the 
rein in order to liberate it, and by this means burns the skin be- 
neath the tail, when the horse becomes excited and commences 
to kick. The driver then usually begins to whip, and often-times 
the horse continues to kick, until he breaks everything within 
reach of his heels, and runs away. Now the owner has a con- 
firmed kicker, and frequently knows not what to do to correct the 
fault he has himself established. The instructions below, if prop- 
erly applied, will effect a cure. 

When your horse is down, as seen in the engraving, place ft 
strap under his tail and commence moving it up and down; 
ehould he kick, or show signs of resistance, at once punish him . 
if not, caress him, and in a short time his tail will become limber 
and he will be taught to not be afraid, though, in driving, the 
rein should get under his tail. Also, after you allow him to rise 
to his feet, use the same means as just directed when he wae 
lying down* 



^-37- 

In my book I have endeavored to grapple with almost every 
bad habit that a horse is addicted to, and would here advise all 
persons who handle them to be extromely careful that if their 
animals acquire unpleasant habits, they are not mostly to be 
blamed themselves. Horses differ materially in their ability to 
learn, and many are less susceptible of impressions than others, 
therefore, it behooves the educator to first make himself acquain- 
ted with the disposition of his horse, and treat him accordingly. 




To Cdocatv a Hurt* Not to Kick wheu the Linos get Under hla Tail. 

as the same line of management will not serve for all, but an 
observance of one important direction, that of always using the 
utmost kindness, will, in most cases, prevent and remove all 
habits but those of long standing. 



_^8~ 

Bits Used in Educating Horses Addicted to Bad 

Habits. 

NO. 1. To PREVENT A HORSE GETTING HIS TONGUE OVER THE 

Bit. — Take a piece of leather, say three inches long, an inch and 
a half wide, and drill two holes in a straight bit ; now rivet this 
leather on the top of the bit, after which sprinkle on the npper 
side some pulverized rosin, and take a hot iron and pass over it 
so as to form a coating. Allow your horse to wear this bit say 
six or eight days when driving, and he will by that time be suf- 
ficiently taught to abandon the habit. 

No. 2. Lolling the Tongue. — Take an ordinary straight bit 
of five-eights of an inch in diameter and drill two holes, each one 
three-quarters of an inch from the center : then get a piece of 
very small chain, attach iron bullets, about the size of ordinary 
leaden bullets used in guns, suspend them not more than one and 
a half inches from the bit. Now use the bit, every time you drive 
your horse, for ten days. 

No. 3. To Cure a Horse of Sucking Wind. — Ahorse that has 
acquired the habit of sucking wind is truly to be detested, as it is 
oftentimes attended with fatal results, and when once thoroughly 
settled, great difficulty has been experienced in removing the 
habit. The method I have introduced of treating this habit has 
proved successful in most cases. 

Take a piece of 6mall gas-pipe, say from five eighths to three- 
quarters of an inch in diameter, the ordinary length of a bit; 
heat it and circle it a little, then drill cm the upper side equal 
distances apart from each end; also drill three holes on the 
upper side, making each hole between an eighth and a quarter 
of an inch in diameter, and attach a ring near each end and 
allow your horse to wear this when driving, say for at least 
from ten to twenty days or until the habit is removed. 

No. 4. To Cure a Side-Reiner, c JTe that Pulls heavily on 
one Rein.— Take a plain, jointed bit, remove one-half of the part 
used in the mouth and supply a small chain from the side ring te 
to the center joint, now on the side that the animal pulls place 



_39~ 

the chain ; he is not only attracted by the strange sensation in 
the mouth, but when pulled on the chain side receives such 
severe and unexpected punishment that he will quickly give up 
his habit. +*.,. 

No. 5. Dead Mouth ok Jaw Bit— This bit may be used on 
horses that pull very much on the reins, and a lady may with 
safety drive a horse, as she can control him quite easily. 

The attachment to this bit is made as follows : Take two pieces 
of leather about three inches in diameter, make a hole in the 
center of each to admit of the bit, cut the leather so as to put 
pieces on after, sew up slit, attach two billets on under side with 
buckle, then buckle on under jaw. This bit may be used without 
a head-stall. 

To Educate Horses Not to be Afraid of Objects When 

Driving. 

It is imposbible to overestimate the value of the subjoined 
instructions respecting nervous and shying horses, therefore on 
this topic I wish to be particularly clear and explicit. Let the 
reader understand that horses take fright at objects because they 
fancy those objects will harm them, and if you can by any means 
appeal to the horse's brain, and satisfy him that he is not going 
to be hurt, you have accomplished your object, and in order to 
do so, you must have control of your horse. I do not mean by 
this that you are to adopt the too frequent course pursued by 
many, viz., subduing with the whip, or other harsh means, 
which will, without almost an exception, increase the fear instead 
of removing the habit ; again, when a horse shies, the driver 
commences to jerk on the rein nearest to the object, and at once 
applies the whip, fully determined to master his horse ; both man 
and horse get excited and the horse comes off victorious, be- 
cause he cannot control him by the means used, and the result 
is that the next time the animal is frightened it bears a two-fold 
character, the fear of the object, and the fear of the whip-punish- 
ment. 

In order to properly educate your horses in this department, 
I would specially direct the reader to observe and practice tho 



-40- 

following directions : Select, first, the most prominent objects fti 
which he becomes frightened, then make the Bonaparte bridle of 
small cord, and place it on your horse under the bridle, carrying 
the end of the cord into the carriage and when approaching an 
object at which he takes fright, get out of your carriage, stand 
nearly in front of him, give a quick downward pull, and say, 
" Come here !" At first do not punish him too severely ; but if 
he will not obey, increase the punishment, and so soon as he 
complies, caress him. Bring him quite near the object, and, if 
possible, let him smell of it, as by adopting this method he will 
quickly understand that the object will not hurt him. Now turn 
him around, and drive him past the object two or three times, 
and you have accomplished your end. 

First Lesson to Educate a Horse not to fear an 

Umbrella. 

Place on the animal the throwing rig and proceed to lay him 
down, when, should he jump around and show resistance, do 
not get anxious to throw him quickly, but let him caper about, 
he will soon give up. After he is down present the umbrella to 
him folded up, allow him to smell of it, then rub it gently across 
his nose and head, now open it partly, again let him smell of it, 
shut it and open it several times until he becomes perfectly re- 
conciled to the appearance, open or shut; work slowly and 
carefully so as not to excite him more than possible to avoid. 

On no account should the operator, when practicing any dea 
in my system, forget that success greatly depends upon caressing 
when the animal obeys. 

Horse Bad to Bridle. 

Horses become unwilling to be bridled from various causes, 
sometimes from sores on the head or ears, sometimes from hur- 
riedly and improperly removing the bridle, and sometimes from 
sheer ugliness of disposition, prompted by a desire to be master. 
The treatment in these cases should be varied. In the latter 
«ase named it will be necessary to lay the animal down, and 



-41- 



while thus under control, handle his head and ears, after which 
put your bridle on and off several times, exercising patience and 
being careful to avoid anything like roughness. Should he resist 
punish him in the mouth, using your best judgment to avoid 
seventy, and so soon as he submits caress. As to the former 
where a dislike to be bridled arises from abuses, kindness must 
govern the conduct of the educator. By using my Bonaparte 
bridle you will be able to control and counteract all predisposi- 
tion to resist your efforts in a very short time. Should there be 
sores about the animal's head, you had better restore to sound- 
ness before you attempt to educate to comply with vour 
wishes. J 

To Educate a Single-footed Horse to Trot Square. 

Upon the hind leg of the horse that hitches or single-foots 
place two hame-straps, one above and one below the gambol- 
jomt, attaching a ring on front, by which means the straps are 
confined ; then place a small strap on the opposite front leg just 
below the knee-joint, now buckle on a strap from fore-le* to 
hind-leg, passing it up under the surcingle. Now proceed to 
drive your horse, and you will at once discover that he cannot 
single-foot, but must trot. By paying particular attention to 
the instructions given, the pleasing result will follow and your 
horse will be taught to abandon the habit. The reader must be 
careful not to trot his horse fast up hill nor allow him to draw 
too much weight while trotting. 

To Educate a Pacing Horge to Trot. 

Take four hame-straps, attach two on each hind-leg, one above 
and one below the gambol-joint, confining the straps on the front 
of the leg by means of a small ring. Then place two hame-straps 
on the front legs just below the knee-joint ; buckle a strap from 
each fore-leg, carrying them up under the surcingle, and attach 
them to the rings in front of hind-legs, crossing strap from off 
fore-leg to nigh hind-leg, and from nigh fore-leg to off hind-lea- 
now commence to drive your horse, walking him very slow as 



-42- 

the .167 action of the legs may cause him to stumble ,- 6ut afte»p 
a few miFutes you may increase his speed, and you will be de- 
lighted to see your horse trotting at a rate that will astonish 
you. 

To Educate a Horse to Trot. 

The appliance required to form the trotting rig is arranged as 
follows : 

Take four hame-straps, attach two on each hind-leg, one above 
and onp below the gambol -joint, confining the straps on the front 
part of xhe leg, by mean3 of a small ring. Then take a standing 
martingale and attach a small pulley on the lower end of the 
martingale; then take a small, strong cord, tying one end in 
the ring on one hind-leg, passing the other end through the pul- 
ley, bringing it back to the other hind-leg, and tie it in the ring ; 
adjust the rope in accordance with the stride of your horse, ob- 
serving to drive him very slow for a time until he shall become 
accustomed to the rig. 

This idea with alterations as hereinafter set forth may be 
successfully applied to horses while being used by the husband- 
man in ploughing, that are addicted to the habit of kicking. I 
have already given the reader a number of ideas on this point 
that, if used in accordance with instructions, will not fail to give 
satisfaction. 

Put on the horse the trotting-rig, as seen in engraving, with 
the exception of the standing martingale attached from the pul- 
ley to the bit-ring of the bridle ; then through the eye of the 
pulley insert a small cord, saf twelve feet long, carry both ends 
up between the fore-legs, pass one end through the bit-ring on 
the off-side up over the head, and down on the nigh-side of the 
head to the bit-ring, and then tie it. Now take the other end of 
the cord and carry it up on the nigh-side through the bit-ring 
and pass it over the head down to the biWing on the off-side and 
there tie it. By thus manipulating your cord you will perceive 
that you have a system of severely punishing the horse when he 
shall kick. 



"^43- 

To Eduoate a Horse Not to Kick while in 

Shafts. 

Horses are quite often educated to kick in harness as well as 
out and almost numberless accidents have been caused by this 
vicious and bad habit. Men are found reckless enough to tant- 
alize their horse with a whip and sometimes punch him with a 
stick, regardless of consequences. The result, in most cases, is 
that the animal becomes a kicker, and the habit when once 
formed is not easily eradicated by resorting to the old stereotyped 
method of placing a strap over the horse's rump and buckling to 
the shafts on each side. This treatment may in time effect the 
purpose, but it will require months to do so. Laying all others 
aside, I with confidence say to the reader, if he will but practice 
the subjoined idea he will find it not only practical but effectual, 
because the punishment is so severe that a few lessons will con- 
vince the horse that it will greatly be to his advantage to abandon 
the habit. 

Take a cord twenty feet long, divide it in the center, place it 
back of the ears, bring it down and cross it in the mouth, then 
bring it up between the eyes, placing a ring or loop there; now 
bring it back through a ring attached to the head-stall between 
the ears, then bring both ends of your cord under the saddle of 
the harness and along the back, to a ring slipped over the crupper 
against the hip-strap ; bring the cords through the ring down to 
the shaft on each side of the horse, observing to leave just slack 
enough so that your horse may not be too much confined. The 
cord used may be quite small, so that it is strong. 

Now when your horse makes an attempt to kick he will find a 
severe punishment immediately meted out to him, and thus 
finding his attempt fruitless as well as painful, he will be made 
to understand that while obedince is rewarded, punishment 
quickly follows each act of disobedience. This simple yet effect- 
ive expedient makes the horse punish himself for his own mis- 
deeds, and by making the act of kicking the cause of his suffering 
disinclines him to attempt it, for neither horse nor man will 
voluntarily provoke certain pain. 



— 44- 

To Educate a Lazy Horse, and Infuse Life into Him. 

I have already given many ideas referring to balky horses, and 
as the old, tried remark is verily true, that "in the midst of 
council there is safety," so with a multitude of ideas there is 
certain success. I will add one mora to the catalogue. 

Something that especially attracts the attention of a horse 
accustomed to balk often causes him to forget for the moment his 
offensive habit and start off, much to the surprise of his driver. 
By adopting the idea pet forth beldw, and following care- 
fully each detail given, the reader will have no difficulty ^ 
in ordinary cases, with this peculiar tormentor, in accomplishing 
his purpose. 

By many this may be considered a kind of jockey trick ; but 
the reader will find the information valuable if he has a lazy horse 
or one that does not drive up well on the bit, as by following the 
directions given below he will be prepared to show as much style 
as any man in his county. 

Directions. — Take a small chain, about three feet long and 
attach to it a strap or limber stick about the same length, with 
this in hand walk into the stable and commence plying on him a 
few smart blows, with this educator, above the gambol -joint, 
repeating it once a day for three or four days ; when you hit him 
of course the chain rattles and makes, to him, a peculiar noise. 
Now, after j t ou harness him up, put the chain in your carriage, 
then take your place behind him and commence driving, and 
when you want to show style, just kick the chain about a little 
with your boot and you will be surprised at the spirit and zeal 
manifested by your hor^e. 

An Easy Method of Starting a Balky Horse who 
Stops on the Road. 

Among the various bad habits which horses acquire there are 
none which more severely try?. the patience of man than does the 
habit of balking. Frequently a horse is qdiet, kind, and a good 
roadster, but has this habit of occasionally stopping in the road. 
At such times the almost universal practice is to whip the horse* 



—45- 

and sometimes most brutally, or the more sickening custom of 
procuring a bundle of straw or some shavings and setting them 
on fire under the body of the horse. Such kinds of treatment I 
utterly discard, and the reader will find, in another part of my 
book, that I give several methods which will prove effectual in 
eradicating this habit, only meting out sufficient punishment to 
secure obedience. 




Vj^WMtUSJ) 



To Start a Balky Horse. 



Below I give" an excellent method of starting a balky horsfc, 
and one which will prove effectual, though it will not educate the 
horse to abandon the habit. "When your horse balks get out of 
your carriage, walk np to him and commence kicking him with 
the toe of your boot under the fetlock joint, first one then the 
other using the word ''shoo 1" loud and quick every time you 
kick. Then take your seat in the carriage and use the word as 
before directed, when your horse will start at once. This pr< 
diverto Ids attention and o moye on. 



Teaching Horses Tricks. 



f Many horses are susceptible of an education far more exten- 
sive than is necessary for ordinary use, and for the benefit of 
such persons as may desire to teach their horses something more 
than the usual accomplishments, whether for their own amuse- 
ment, or for the purpose of seeing how far the intelligence of the 
animal can be developed, I have prepared a description of a 
variety of tricks, which, as performed by my horses, have been 
received with universal* applause, both in the United States and 
in Canada. But that no person may be misled into supposing 
that this forms a part of my general system of educating the 
horse, I deem it proper to present these directions separately. 

Though the tricks to be hereafter explained will add nothing 
of intrinsic value to the horse, nor of real benefit to his owner, 
yet the reader will readily see in them the demonstration of a 
highly important fact, viz., that horses can be taught the meaning 
of words, and to yield obedience to sounds to such an extent as 
to convince a candid mind that their intelligence is far in advance 
of that generally attributed to them. With these remarks I will 
proceed to explain the modus operandi, as I call attention to a 
variety of tricks they may easily be taught to perform. Before 
passing to this, let me impress on the reader some leading prin- 
ciples in educating the horse. First, never allow yourself to get 
in a hurry ; impatience or excitement on your part will go far in 
defeating the object of your instructions. Second, do not pro- 
long your lessons beyond twenty minutes at one time; and, 
especially, never use severity beyond that which may be ab- 
solutely necessary. Thus by kindness and patience in repeating 
your lessons at short intervals, you will surmount every dif- 
ficulty and accomplish your purpose in a manner satisfactory to 
yourself. 



-47- 

To Educate a Horse to take a Handkerchief from hi* 

Side. 

The reader must understand that it is necessary first to educate 
your animal to obey the words "come here" and "whoa" before 
he can be taught tricks successfully. 

There must be great caution used in teaching the above trick. 
First stand on the nigh-side and prick the animal lightly on the 
shoulder ; he will reach round and bite near where the punishment 
is inflicted. After you have repeated this a few times hold a hand- 
kerchief in hand with the pin and he will soon catch hold of it 
with his teeth ; as you use the pin, say "Take it from the nigh- 
»de." Next prick him with a pin on the off-shoulder, hand- 
kerchief accompanying, and say "Take it from the off-side." 
When you have given him five or six lessons, you may hold the 
handkerchief on his side and touch him with your finger, repeat- 
ing the words above directed. The instructor must bo cautious 
when using the pin in educating, not to provoke or make the 
animal cross. 

I To Educate a Horse to Kiss a Boy. 

This kind of education is not particularly beneficial to the 
horse owner, but it illustrates clearly the idea forshadowed in 
many parts of my work : first, that the horse may be taught 
almost anything that is in his power to do ; second, that if you 
go rightly to work you may so gain his confidence that he will 
cheerfully obey every reasonable command. 

Direction. — Take a piece of apple, place it in your mouth and 
say to your horse, "Kiss me." He will approach you to take it; 
when he does so caress him. After repeating this a few times, 
when you approach him extend your mouth towards his and 
repeat the words "kiss me." If he does not respond, place a piece 
of apple in your mouth as before, and repeat it until he shall obey 
without the use of the apple. 

To Educate a Horse to Bore for Oil. 

Place on your horse the Comanche bridle, and educate him to 
the words, "Come here," so that he will mind you readily on 
hearing the words ; by th'm you can better control him while 



•-48- 

educating to the trick in question. Some difficulty may at first 
be experienced, but by patience and perseverance you will not fail. 
Take an ordinary pole-strap and place it on your horse below 
the fetlock joint on the off fore-foot ; now take one loose turn 
round the nigh fore-foot, and take the end of the strap in one 
hand, with the other hand pull gently on the bridle, using the 
words as instructed. Your animal will attempt to obey, but will 
fiud himself somewhat hampered, yet he will quickly learn. If 
he should at first move a foot to please you, say "Whoa," and 
then caress. Make your lesson short, and do not try to force him 
too much, for if you do, he will become excited and resist your effort. 

How to make a Horse walk up. 

First put a rope around his neck, bring it down through hia 
mouth, back through the loop on the neck, jerk him till he raises 
his fore-feet the least bit, then stop and caress him ; then check 
him up tight to a surcingle — from the bit to the side-ring is the 
better way ; then jerk on the cord, and he will soon get up erect ; 
repeat, still caressing him well for all he does ; he will soon get 
up at the motion of the whip. You should, when practicing 
him, repeat the words, "get up, sir!" It is in this manner I 
taught Tom Thumb to go up and down stairs, and to perform on 
the stage in different places, affording amusement to thousands 
of witnesses. 

To Educate a Horse to Sit Down. 

Horses differ very much in their capacity for being taught, 
therefore, if you desire a pleasing subject, select one that i» 
tractable. Directions : Make the Bonaparte bridle, and place it 
on your horse, so that you may have him under proper control, 
then put on him a common hame collar ; now take two pole- 
straps and place one on each hind-leg, below the fetlock joint, 
and attach a cord, say twelve feet long, to each strap, carry your 
cord up through the collar on each side and bring the ends behind 
him, holding also the end of the Bonaparte bridle in your hand, 
and commence to pull on your cords ; now repeat over the words, 
"sit down "; as he goes backwards draw up still more on your 
cords, until h» shall sit down. Do not allow him to remain in 



-49- 

this sitting posture more than a minute the first lesson. Repeat 
this two or three times a day for five or six days, and you, with 
the assistance of a whip pointed downwards to the ground, will 
witness the pleading effect of your instruction by seeing your 
horse sit down at the word of command. 

To Educate a Horso to Drive a Boy off the Pedestal. 

It will be necessary to first educate the horse to mount the 
pedestal, then proceed in the following manner. Put on the 
Bonaparte bridle, using a cord, say twenty feet long, and send 
your horse away from you with a whip, the length of the cord, 
then give him a slight pull, and say, "Come here ; " then run from 
him and mount the pedestal yourself; when ho approaches he 
will try to mount, and as he does so you jump off. After you 
have thus exercised him a few times get a boy to assist, you. 
Let the boy stand on the pedestal, and say to your horse, "Come 
here and mount up ; " instruct the boy to leave so soon as the 
animal shall mount". 

You will find this trick quite a sensational one, and not diffi' 
cult to learn your horse. 

To Shake Hands. 

This is easily accomplished by tying a short-strap or piece of 
cord to the forward foot below the fetlock ; then stand directly in 
front of the horse, and hold the end of the strap in your hand, 
and say, "Shake hands, sir." After which pull immediately upon 
the strap, which will bring his foot forward, and which you are 
to accept as shaking hands ; then, of course, you must caress and 
feed him, and keep him repeating, until, when you make the 
demand, he will bring the foot forward in anticipation of having 
it pulled up. 

How to Make a Horse Bow. 

Prick him in the breast with a pin, till ho throws his head 
down and up the least bit ; then take the pin away, and caress 
him kindly ; repeat for a few times, until when you stand back 
and attract his attention, he will nod his head, expecting a prick 
in the breast. 



To Eduoate a Horse to Walk on His Knees. 

The reader will observe, by reading my book, that great use in 
made of the Bonaparte bridle, and if those who handle horses 
will always resort to it when obedience from the horse is desired, 
they will save much time, trouble and annoyance that so often 
occur, especially to persons who quickly lose their tempers. 
Men can accomplish more in fifteen minutes using the bridle than 
in fifteen hours with any other means, as it does not inflict a 
severe punishment when properly used, but never fails to secure 
obedience. Therefore, as in most cases it is used, I, in the present, 
introduce it again. 

Put a surcingle on the horse, attach a strap to his nigh fore- 
foot between the fetlock joint and hoof and draw it up to within 
eight or ten inches of his body, then take a strap or cord, say 6 
or 7 feet long, and fasten it to his off fore-leg in the same manner 
and secure the services of some person to assist you, directing 
him to stand on the off-side, and, when directed, to pull up his 
foot. Place on the horse the Bonaparte bridle, and take your 
position in front of him with bridle in hand, requesting assistant 
to pull, when your horse will come down on his knees, now pull 
on your bridle and say, "Come here," when he will soon obey 
you. Do not make your lessons long, but repeat them often ; 
not forgetting to caress him if he should make the slightest move 
towards you. 

Never attempt to teach a horse this trick with shoes on his 
hind-feet, as he might cut himself, which would cause him to 
dread a second effort. 

To Educate a Horse to be Vicious. 

Many persons are incredulous in regard to the assertion that 
horses can be educated ; had one lived a hundred years ago he 
might have been excused for such incredulity, but in this age of 
knowledge and advancement in all departments of human life, 
no man should close his eyes to any of ine developments wrought 
by man's ingenuity. That the horse possesses more intelligence 
than many are disposed to admit, facts abundantly prove, and 



-51- 

that he is quite as susceptible of acquiring evil and vicious habits 
as is man, the following trick will show. 

My horse, Prince Albert, appears to enjoy the subjoined trick 
greatly, and I regard it as quite a sensational one. To educate 
a horse to be vicious you have only to attract his attention, and 
then appear to be afraid of him. For instance, strike him lightly 
with a whip on the knees, then run away from him, and after 
you have repeated this a few times he will run after you. You 
may make the trick more interesting by calling him names, such 
as "a nigger," "a mean horse," and on speaking the words run 
from him. But be careful to have some place of safety, so that, 
when he follows, you may get out of his reach, as at some time 
he may dissappoint and overtake you and mete out a punishment 
that will be anything ^ut pleasing or desirable. 

How to Teach a Horse to Laugh. 

Prick him with a pin on the nose till he turns his lip up ; then 
caress him well. He will soon learn that when you point towards 
him and say, "Laugh," that it means a prick in the nose, if he 
does not turn his lip up. 

To Educate a Horse to Push a Vehicle. 

After your horse has been taught to mount a pedestal with his 
fore-feet, aud to stand and walk upright on his hind-feet it is a 
comparatively easy task to educate him to mount upon a vehicle 
and push it. It is not at all necessary that a horse should be at- 
tached to it in front. 

In this trick it will be scarcely necessary for the educator to 
put the Bonaparte bridle on his horse unless he should show 
some stubbornness, but, with biting rig on, stand near his head, 
whip in hand, and say to him in rather a loud and sharp tone of 
voice, "Get up !" Some fear on his part may be manifested, still 
do not give up nor lose your patience, but lift his feet up and 
caress him. When he does get up do not at first allow the vehicle 
to move, nor until he has mounted two or three times, then say 
to him, "Push !" and in a short time you will have taught him 



not only to get up on the vehicle but t<T push it in front of him. 
After your horse has been thoroughly taught, you will discover 
that he is delighted to amuse you, and he will appear pleased t^ 
participate in the enjoyment of the trick. 

How to Make a Horse go Lame. 

Tap him on the fore-leg till he holds it up, then caress him 
kindly ; lead him with the left hand to the bit, and tap the left 
fore-leg with a stick in your right hand ; repeat the word "lame 
lame, lame," and your horse will soon learn to hold up one leg at 
the command. 

To Educate the Horse to Walk on his Hind Feet. 

Make the Bonaparte bridle, and put it on your horse ; also put 
on a bitting rig, which is no trouble, but necessary, draw- 
ing his head pretty well up and in. Now stand near his head 
with bridle in hand, and jerk upward, as though you desired to 
lift him up, at the same time repeating the words, "stand up on 
your hind feet 1" repeat this several times, and if he does not 
make a mo\e to please you, take hold of one leg, raising him up 
with one hand and using the bridle with the other, as before 
directed, not forgetting to caress him if he makes the slightest 
move in the direction of obedience. In order to ensure success, 
kindness and patience should be the ruling principles. After you 
have taught your horse to stand on his hiud feet you will next 
educate him to walk upright. This can be easily done by observing 
the following directions. Stand in front of him, whip in hand, say- 
ing, "Get up 1" then shake the whip in front of him, stepping back- 
wards slowly, at the same time say to him, "Come here !" repeat- 
ing it sharply and touching him gently with the whip on the 
knees. By carefully observing the above directions, you will quickly 
teach your horse to stand upright, and to walk on his hind feet. 

How to Make a Horse Say "No." 

Prick 1 him on the neck at the terminus of the mane till he 
shakes his head, then remove the pin, caress him, repeat for a 
while, and your horse will soon shake his head when you raise 



-53— 

your hand to your heart ; be always sure to treat the animal 
kindly for well-doing, and caress him when he deserves it, and h« 
will repay you by his love for you and willingness to do your 
bidding. 

To Educate a Horse to Mount a Pedestal. 

First make the Gleason bridle, and place it on your horse, 
then lead him quietly up to the pedestal, and say to him, "Get 
up with your fore-feet!" of course he will not obey; now you 
must teach him your meaning. While you hold the bridle let 
soma one take hold of his front foot, raise it carefully and place 
it on the pedestal : then caress him, after which say "Get down !" 
at the same time using your bridle in gently backing him. 
When he puts his foot down do not omit to caress him. Repeat 
this until he will obey when spoken to, then go through the 
same process with the other foot. After this, place both feet on 
the pedestal ; then require him to get down, then up and down 
till he will obey you without the use of the bridle. Great care 
should be taken not to excite the horse while educating him, for 
when excited his brain becomes muddled, and he is unfitted for 
retaining your instruction. 

To make your horse stand on three legs ; take a pin, and place 
it in the end of your whip-stock, and with the point prick him 
slightly on the leg, in front, just below the fetlock joint, but not 
hard enough to make him kick ; repeat this several times accom- 
panied by the words, "hold up your foot !" continuing to repeat 
the punishment and words until he will obey the command with- 
out punishment. 

How to Make a Horse Waltz. 

Tie his head to his side by means of a surcingle and cord, 
festening the cord at the side, reaching from the mouth : touch 
him lightly with the whip. He has to go, and, of course, he must 
go around and around. He soon learns perfectly to waltz by the 
jaotion of the whip, the teacher itill repeating the word "waltx." 



How To Buy. 



. Get Correct Information. 

Every horse owner sooner or later becomes a judge of what he 
is buying. If he depends entirely upon the lessons learned 
through cheats are practiced upon him by sharp jockeys, life is 
too short for him ever to become an adept in distinguishing vice, 
unsoundness, " dosed up" and used up horses as among the 
various tricks and swindles practiced upon the ignorant and 
unwary. Generally after being cheated, or absolutely swindled 
a few times, the breeder goes to the only correct source of infor- 
mation, concisely wr.itten and carefully illustrated books. He 
is thus enabled not only to study, but subsequently to carry in his 
mind what he has read and seen ; he comes to compare critically 
the living animal with the illustrations and descriptions, and 
thus becomes an expert himself, and in a tenth part of the time 
by which he could acquire correct information in any other way. 
This is precisely the means used by any professional man in the 
acquisition of true knowledge in the pursuit of his profession, 
whether it be in a learned profession or in the education to prac- 
tical art. Thereafter practice makes perfect. 

II. The Buyer. 

Suppose he is looking for stock from which to breed trotting 
horses. He must then consider the type of horse he wishes to 
breed ; whether for speed alone, or for style and speed. That 
is, first class road horses, or large, strong, able horses, com- 
bining in as great a degree as may be large size, strength, endu- 
rance and such style as may be conformable with this class of 
horses. 



—56- 

As showing what may be done in colts got by breeding up out 
of roomy mares of fair style, bred to high class trotting stallions, 
we give two cuts of stallions, certainly good enough for sires, 
and as models of what such horses should be. The first showing 
eminent breeding, with style enough ; rather straight on his fet- 
locks, according to the idea of many good horsemen, but with 
length enough, from our standpoint, to give flexibility. A horse 
compact and smooth, with excellent flat and sinewy limbs, good 
feet, ample chest, good lungs, fine .eye, broad forehead, and 
strong jaws. The head not the ideal of modern " blood horse- 
men," but nevertheless showing docility and intelligence in a 
high degree. Showing also high breeding in every part. 

The cut on page 55 is of a horse of great style and endurance, 
fine all over. A horse that will go with his head well up ; limbs 
exceedingly fine, mane rather light, but with plenty of tail, as a 
horse should have ; evidently showing thorough blood. 

For real and intrinsic merit, the first should be taken. There 
is plenty of style about him, and strength. There is also a body 
of fine character on limbs of great power. Such will be found 
acceptable and sought after always by gentlemen wanting a sin- 
gle horse, or a pair for driving on the road, or for driving in 
the city parks. Either of the two will make capital and stylish 
saddle horses, if well trained, such as no gentleman of ordi- 
nary weight or lady need be ashamed of when taking the after- 
noon trot or canter on the fashionable boulevards or park- 
drives of our large cities, or on the streets or roadways of cities 
having no parks. The first the best horse, the second the most 
stylish. 

Another good horse is of large size and strong build, adapted 
for drawing as a single horse for the coupe, or one of a team to 
the family carriage ; as one of a pair for a coach or barouche , 
one that will give satisfaction almost anywhere, if not driven 
over eight miles an hour, and capable as well of hauling loads 
on good roads, at a fast walking pace. 

A horse of this stamp, sixteen to sixteen and half hands 
high, not particularly heavy set, rather long-limbed, with rangy 
neck and good head, with plenty of spirit and weighing about 



-58- 

1200 pounds, may be called a general utility horse. Such will com- 
mand ready sale at any time, if well broken and trained, say a* 
from $200 to $300 each, and if particularly nice and well matched, 
often at $800 or $900 a pair, as carriage horses when five or six 
years old. 

III. Proportions of the Horse. 




PROPORTIONS OP THE VARIOUS PARTS. 

To arrive at a clear understanding of the proportions of the 
horse, we give an outline that will be a good jtudy, not only for 
the beginner, but will be valuable for reference fc • any horse- 
man, however expert he may be. This illustration combines the 
average measurements of six horses, accepted for perfect symme- 
try, and taken, says one of the most graphic and lucid of writers 
on the horse — two of them from celebrated stallions, two from 
thoroughbred hunters, and two from chargers of great value. 
This, therefore, will not apply to draft horses, but it will be 



1 
— 59 — 

found that the nearer the general utility horse comes to these 
measurements, the better he will be. 

INCHES. 

Height , 63 

Length from shoulder-point to quarter 66 

From the lowest part of the chest to the ground 36 

From the elbow-point to the ground .... , 39 

From the withers to the pole, just behind the ears, in a straight line. . 30 

The same measured along tbe crest 32 

Length of head 22 

Width across the forehead 9 1-2 

From the withers to the hip 22 

From the stifle to the point of the hock, in the attitude shown in 

the plan 29 

From the -root of the tail to the stifle-joint 26 

From the point of the hock to the ground 22 1-2 

Length of arm from the elbow to the pisiform bone (the rear bone of 

th se forming the upper articulation of the knee) .'. 19 1-2 

From the pisiform bone to the ground 19 1-2 

Girth varies from 78 to 79 

Circumference of fore-cannon bone (large metacarpel or shank 

bone, extending from the knee to the fetlock) 

7 1-2, 8, 8, 8, 8 1-2 and 9 

Circumference of arm just below the elbow 16 1-2 to 18 

The foregoing is not to be taken as a fixed rule in comparing 
ordinary horses, nor even those well-bred. For the hunting 
field, the fine saddle horse, or any of the uses to which practical 
men put their horses, aside from flat racing, select as many of the 
Buperior points of the horse as described, as you can find, and 
beware of low withers and high croup. The horse that will 
come to the standard that we have given in the diagram, is as 
a rule the horse to buy. 

IV. The Cleveland Bay for Profit. 

Of late years this admirable and stylish horse as improved 
from the old farm horse of fifty years ago, has attracted attention 
in the United States, and especially in the West, where many 
fair specimens have been imported. He often has dashes of 
white which do not detract from the style of any horse, ajid 



— eo— * 

show breeding. It is a horse showing blood and breeding, with 
lofty crest, magnificient withers, round barrelled, and clean 
limbed, a coat like satin, and a head of excellent proportions. 
Colts from such a horse out of large, roomy mares of good style, 
will always sell for high prices. When you find such a stallion 
do not be afraid to buy, he will pay, and his foals will pay for 
their feed and training. 

The old fashioned horse of this race, the Cleveland bay, is ex- 
tinct and gone. The present form is the result of crosses with 
staunch thoroughbreds, giving better form throughout, greater 
speed and good style. We consider them as among the very best 
from which to breed stylish animals from proper mares. Horses 
that may do the ordinary farm work until six years past, and 
then be sold at good prices for stylish omnibus, express, light 
draft, and carriage horses in our cities. Persons who have 
large, well built mares, wishing to breed colts that shall have 
size enough for any farm or road work ; that will breed to uni- 
form color, so that they may be easily matched ; that will have 
style — not that of the blood horse, or ight driving, or trotting 
ho^se — w m do well to investigate the characteristics of the Cleve- 
land bays. Canada has acquired a high reputation for stylish, 
well matched coach horses. It is founded in a great measure 
upon crosses produced by breeding the modern Cleveland bays 
upon large, handsome mares of more or less breeding. 

Such horses if properly cared for will do eight or nine miles an 
hour, in harness, and under the saddle may be pushed up to twelve 
miles an hour; are active in all their gaits, tractable, easily man- 
aged, intelligent, fast walkers, always ready for their feed, and as 
eager at labor as they are kind and intelligent everywhere. The 
late Henry William Herbert, a thorough horseman, an accurate 
judge of horseflesh, and a finished writer, in his voluminous work, 
"The Horse of America," thus describes the original Cleveland 
bay, and also the improved horse of his time : "The Cleveland 
bay, in its natural and unmixed form, is a tall, powerfully built, 
bony animal, averaging, I should say, fifteen hands three inches in 
height, rarely falling short of fifteen and a half or exceeding six- 
teen and a half hands. 



Th© crest and withers are almost invariably good, the heaJ 
bony, loan, and well set on. Ewe-necks are, probably, rarer in 
this family than any other, unless it be the dray-horse, in which 
it is never seen. 

The faults of shape to which the Cleveland bay is most liable are 
narrowness of body, and flatness of the cannon and shank bones. 
Their color is universally bay, rather on the yellow bay than on 
the bloed bay color, with black mane, tail and legs. 

They are sound, hardy, active, powerful horses, with excellent 
capabilities for draft, aud good endurance, so long as they are not 
pushed beyond their speed, which may be estimated at from six to 
eight miles an hour, on a trot, or from ten to twelve — the latter 
quite the maximum — on a gallop, under almost any weight. 

The large and more showy of these animals, of the tallest and 
heaviest type, woe the favorite coach horses of their day; the more 
springy and lightly built of equal height were the hunters, in the 
days when the fox w r as hunted by his drag, unkenneled, and run 
half a dozen hours or more, before he was either earthed or worn 
out and worried to death. Then the shorter, lower, and more 
closely ribbed-up were the road hackney, a style of horse unhap- 
pily now almost extinct, and having unequally substituted in its 
place a wretched, weedy, half-bred or three-quarters-bred beast, 
fit neither to go the pace with a weight on its back nor to last the 
time. 

From these Cleveland bays, however, though in their pure state 
nearly extinct, a very superior animal has descended, which, after 
several steps and gradations, has settled down into a common 
family, as the farm horse, and riding or driving horse of the farm- 
ers, has about two crosses, more or less, of blood on the original 
Cleveland stock. 

The first gradation, when pace became a desideratum, was the 
stinting of the best Cleveland bay mares to good thorough- 
bred horses, with a view to the progeny turning out hunters, roop 
horses, or, in the last resort, stage-coach horses, or, as they were 
termed, machines. The most promising of these well-bred colts 
were kept as stallions; and mares of the same type, with their dams, 
stinted to them produced the improved carriage horse of fifty 
years ago. 



-62 — 

The next step was putting the half-breed fillies, by thorough- 
breds out of Cleveland Bay mares, a second time to thorough-bred 
stallions ; their progeny to become the hunters, while themselves 
and their brothers were lowered into the carriage horses ; and 
the half-bred stallions which had been the getters of carriage 
horses were degraded into the sires of the new, improved cart 
horse. 

V. The Light Harness Horse. 

In many cases, where the roads are superior, and the animal 
is used in a vehicle of the lightest construction, to carry only one 
person, size is not always necessary. Very many horses of four- 
teen and a half hands, are exquisitely handsome and capable of 
very fast work. One of the best I ever kne,w was a St. Law- 
rence mare fourteen hands high, that very few largo horses could 
get by on a smooth road — the " Baby," as she was called — when 
driven on a track, always going as a pacer. 

VI. Saddle Horses of all Gaits. 

It is well that America's sons have taken kindly to the sad- 
dle. It is well enough for men of mature age to favor the buggy 
or light wagon, but every young man and woman who can, 
should learn to sit a horse perfectly, and to manage him at all 
gaits. In the South this is the case, but in the North the per- 
fect saddle-seated rider is not so frequently found. Lately, thor- 
oughly trained saddle horses are much sought after in our cities, 
and certainly there is no place where they may be so perfectly 
trained as in the West. It would oe well for the farmer to 
have at least one well trained saddle horse to sell when called 
for. Twelve months training will put them in form- For good 
wear-and-tear, compact, able as a good leaper, of tine form, and 
undoubted bottom for any distance, the illustration showing a 
saddle horse of good form, will give an idea of what a saddle 
horse should be. 

VII. The High-bred Hunting Horse. 

"When a long stride, great leaping pJwers, and ability to go 
long distances at high speed is required, the horse should be not 
less than one-half to three-quarters bred. A greater proper- 



—64— 

tion even is favored in the South, where the passion for hunting 
is only second to that in England. A horse of extra good ac- 
tion will combine size, indicating capacity for carrying great 
weight. ; high breeding, shown in the crest and head ; wonderful 
lungs; great length of hip and limbs, and being near perfection 
as possible • a high caste horse that will not fail hi3 rider in time 
of need 

VIII. Racing Horses. 

There is one more class of saddle horses worthy of special 
notice : the thoroughbred racing horse, the foundation upon 
which has been built all that is valuable in every horse where 
speed, bottom, elegance, and great bone, sinew and muscle in 
every respect are required. It is the fact that on the race course 
there have been schemes and tricks practiced, probably there 
always will be those scandalous in the extreme, but frowned up* 
on by all breeders of respectability. Among the more respectable 
associations rules of the most stringent character have been 
drawn, and fairly lived up to. If dishonest jockeying can bo 
still further eliminated the true animus of the turf may have a 
bright future before tt in still farther improving the breed of 
staunch thoroughbreds, capable of carrying weight, and with 
bottom to get the rider two, three or four miles at high 
speed. These are what are really wanted, and not those 
that at the end of a quarter or a half mile are entirely blown 
and jaded, or as an Englishman would express it, quit© 
" pumped out." 

IX. What the Racer Should Re. 

The model racing horse should be from fifteen and a half to 
sixteen hands high, full and muscular in his build, with clean, 
sound limbs, short backed, round in the barrel, with long hips, 
deep and oblique shoulders, a rangy and not too muscular neck; 
a head fine, bony and with rather large muzzle and prominent 
nostrils, broad in the forehead, with a full, bright, but mild eye, 
denoting a high nervous temperament, uniting great courage 
with docility. 



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X. To Avoid Vioes and Defects.— How to Detect. 

They are legion, and he who at present buys any horse, whether for 
•peed er work, must be on his guard against them. Among the prin- 
cipal disabilities to be guarded against are : 

1. Bone spavin, curb, ring-bone and splints. — To detect these 
look at the horse from before and behind for spavin and curb at the 
hocks ; for ring-bone, at the fetlocks and for splints, below the knee. 
Feel the bones at all these parts for tenderness or enlargement. If 
they appear reject the horee instantly. He will be worthless as a sire, 
or for riding or driving. 

2. Stumbling. — Examine the knees to find if they are scarred 
or show the marks of previous injuries, or that have been operated 
upon for callosities. Then walk him over somewhat rough ground, 
and at a slow pace, with an entirely loose rein, to 6ee if he trips or 
goes weaker on one leg than on the other. If he is a stuinbler, he is 
the most dangerous animal a man can own, unless it be a kicker ; in 
fact, more so than the latter, since kicking may be guarded against, 
when knowing the vice. 

3. Kicking. — If this is suspected, the animal will lay back his 
ears if approached in an apparently careless manner, though horses 
do this sometimes from mere playfulness. If they are vicious, they 
will lay their ears more completely back, and the eyes will also denote 
their intention. Examine the stall, where it is known they have 
stood, for marks of the hoofs, and, above all, give the animal a chance 
to show his propensity when the groom is not near. 

4. Pulling at the halter or bridle when tied. — Tie him 
up in a close yard, with a halter he can easily break, leaving him 
quite alone for about half an hour, to exhibit his propensity if 
he will. 

5. Crib- biting. — If the horse is a confirmed crib-biter, his teeth— 
the central incisors — will show wear where he has grasped objects to 
enable him to get leverage to perform the operation. Tie him out to 
a stump, or at a post about three feet high, and watch him, no person 
being in his sight. 

6. Balking and backing. — Horses seldom balk under the 
saddle, when they do, they are dangerous in the extreme, oftea 



—66 ~ 

stopping suddenly when under motion, or backing into dangerous 
places. It is difficult to detect, for they will sometimes go days, 
weeks and even months all right, and then suddenly show the 
vice. As a rule, it is exhibited by bad tempered, badly trained 
horses. A warrant from a respectable owner is the best guar- 
antee. It may sometimes be detected, if a person strange to the 
horse mounts and attempts to start him suddenly. In harness 
it may often be detected by the manner in which the animal starts 
and travels. 

7. The Rogue. — The rogue is the horse of vices ; he may 
take the bit in his mouth and run away, he will rear, back, kick, 
strike, bite and do twenty other unpleasant tricks, not always 
from pure vice, but often from exhuberance of spirits, or from 
being crossed in some way. They generally perform well enough 
after they have found out that their rider is their master. They 
are difficult to detect in their vices, except by the thorough horse- 
man, who is well versed in every expression or act of the horse. 

8. Bishoped Teeth. — So named from the scoundrel who in- 
vented filing an old horse's teeth to make him look young, even 
to burning and blackening the cups formed. A careful study of 
the chart of the horse's teeth, given in this book, will enable any 
person to detect this, since it is impossible to cover the shrinking 
of the gums, b}* - which the teeth show narrow, and are peculiar 
in shape. 

9. "Weak Eyes. — Whatever the occasion, have nothing to do 
with a horse with bad eyes. Bring the animal from a rather 
dark etable just inside the door where the full light may strike 
the eyes. Examine the lids and pupils carefully, to see if there 
is any considerable shrinking; the eye should be able to bear the 
full light. Horses are sometimes near-sighted, and also far 
sighted. Nearly all shying horses become so either from defect in vision 
or from cowardice. 

10. Moon Eyes — This is a specific ophthalmy, from which 
one or both eyes periodically change color, and during the par- 
oxysm it may become entirely blind. During the interval the eyes 
look natural. It is better, if the buyer suspects this, to take 
& warranty against it. 



-67- 

11. Blindness. — This is sometimes difficult to detect by the 
ordinary observer by looking at the eyes. In rare cases the 
eyes may seem natural. A blind horse, however, may be detected 
by his mode of progression. He will take high steps and often 
appear afraid to proceed. 

XI. Other Faults and Imperfections. 

The disabilities noticed in the previous sections are those 
of positive unsoundness, or else of determined vice. Some 
others that should not be overlooked, are easily examined by 
careful examination and test. These are : 

1. Glass Eye. — This, if not complicated with specific disease, 
does not interfere with sight in any respect. It is a serious 
defect, simply so far as looks are concerned. Usually only one 
eye has this peculiar white glassy appearance, the pupil perfect, 
and the iris quite natural. It should affect the price of the ani- 
mal, only as detracting from elegance. 

2. White Spot. — Sometimes a small white spot will appear 
on the eye of a young horse, generally after three years of age, 
and usually near the outer corner. It has a peculiar cloudy 
appearance, sometimes increasing to the size of a hemp seed, and 
occasionally larger. The duration is variable, sometimes lasting 
for years, and again disappearing in a short time. It really 
impairs the vision but little, if any. Unless its history is known 
a veterinary surgeon should decide whether it is incipient cata- 
ract or not. Some veterinarians have termed it spurious cataract, 
but this is entirely a misnomer. The name white spot describes 
it perfectly. 

3. Roaring. — This is the result of obstruction in some part 
of the larynx or trachea, impeding the breath, and causing a 
peculiar roaring sound when the animal is in motion. It is rarely 
found in the United States, being chiefly confined to draft horses. 
It is often the result of chronic cough. In England it is quite 
common, and when present in a horse of fast work, will render 
him worthless for the road. It may be discovered by urging tho 
horse to a fast gait. 



-68— 

4. Oblique Tail, ob Wry Tail. — This is caused by contrac- 
tion of the muscles of the tail on one side. It may sometimes be 
improved by a surgical operation, and should be considered a 
serious defect in any horse, and especially so in a driving horse. 

5. Turning the Toe of the Hoof out or in Unduly, Sand 
Cracks, Quarter Cracks, Dish Hoofs, Over-reaching, Inter- 
fering, etc. , are all to be looked for before finally buying a 
horse. They are all disabilities that should not be present' *y here 
the purchaser pays full price for the animal. They ire, how 
ever, all so apparent that the purchaser is to blame if he fails to 
see them. * * * " ' > 

6. Wolf Teeth. — These rudimentary teeth, which are found 
in some horses but not in mares, and which have been supposed 
by ignorant persons to produce blindness, and other diseases, 
are entirely harmless, except for the abrasion they sometime oc- 
casion to the tongue and cheeks. If they do so they are easily 
taken out by any sensible blacksmith. In fact it is quite well 
to extract them, not that they will produce serious disease, but 
simply because they are not of any value, are useless to the ani- 
mal, and may occasion slight inconvenience. * , 

7. Shying. — This is one of the most dangerous habits a horse 
can have, whether it be occasioned by cowardice — seldom the 
case ; injudicious punishment is more common — or from defective 
eyesight, or from all these combined. If you are so unfortunate 
as to have a shying horse endeavor to break him of the vice by 
allowing him to examine objects of which he is afraid, by speak- 
ing soothingly to him, but never by whipping or spurring him. 
When he shows a disposition to shy turn his head to rather than 
from the object. Stop him ; let him approach the object and 
louch it with his nose, for soon he will approach it himself. If 
pimply caused by nerveousness, he may thus be cured. If caused 
by being short sighted there is no means of relief. Before you 
buy a horse be certain that he has not this infirmity, as dangerous 
an one as it is disagreeable. Such an animal is only fit to be 
driven by the side of another horse who will keep him to his 
work, and upon which he at length will come to depend, or of 
being driven as a wheeler in a team of four horses. 



-69- 
XII. Buying Cheap Horses. 

I have endeavored to show some of the principal points to be 
considered in buying a horse, especially those relating to the use 
for which they are intended. There is one rule that will always 
apply in buying any horse. Never buy him because he is offered 
at a price evidently far below his worth, that is, except it be 
from a friend that you can trust, who does not want the horse 
himself, and wishes to do you a favor. These cases will be found 
very rare. In every other case rest assured the horse has some 
dangerous vice, or is permanently unsound. In this country 
never buy a horse at any price which has any appearance of 
broken knees by falling. Hunting horses are too rare here for 
one to have gotten the hurt in the field, and, accidentally, byi 
being put at a barrier beyond his power. » \ 

Reject a horse with any weakness in his eyesight, unless yon 
have use for a blind horse, then buy him at a blind horse's price. 
A one-eyed horse may do useful, but not elegant work. Never 
buy a lame horse at any price, until you are assured that the dis- 
ability is not permanent. * , 

Foot lameness, except it may be from a slight corn, and conse- 
quently curable, should be an insuperable bar to purchase. You 
can never patch up a bad foot. Therefore be sure you always 
try the iutended purchase on a hard road. Many game horses, 
dead lame on hard roads, will get along without much flinching 
on soft roads, or the turf. If you are certain as to the cause of 
the lameness and know you can cure it, the purchase, as a spec- 
ulation, may do ; but never rely on the assurance of the horse 
dealer. It is his business to sell. 

Never buy a narrow chested horse for hard service. It shows 
weak lungs and those liable to inflammation. If for saddle, 
avoid a very broad chested horse, though as trotters they are 
sometimes fast. The best and most perfect chest is a medium 
between the narrow and broad chest. 

A tucked up washy looking horse should be avoided. They 
may indeed do for light work or short drives, but are totally un- 
fit for real work. 



-70- 

In buying avoid all defects in the wind ; be sure the disability- 
has not been temporarily covered up, by special means known 
to horse dealers. A whistler or roarer may show no indication 
of his infirmity at a slow pace, or up to a certain speed. Beyond 
that it is apparent. Broken wind is an incurable infirmity and 
probably as distressing to the horse as the asthma is to man. A 
horse may make more or less noise and yet not have broken 
wind. Any indication of thir, however, is to be looked on 
with suspicion. 

In buying a horse his points of excellence and infirmity are 
better shown if only in fair working condition than when very 
fat. A horse very fat is pretty nearly a useless creature until 
his condition has been brought down to that of bone, sinew and 
muscle, with just sufficient fat to lubricate, so to speak, the 
working parts. Yet a horse for slow draft may be serviceable 
and oarry far more flesh and fat than one used for fast work. 
Many superior horses have been ruined by hard driving when 
fat, or soft. 

XIII. Color in Relation to Value. 

It is a saying as trite as it is old that any color is good in a 
good horse. Yet a horse, however good otherwise, should be 
invariably rejected if his coier is bad. For instance, it would 
essentially mark both an ignorant and vulgar person who would 
select a piebald, spotted, or otherwise extraordinary color for a 
carriage horse. It would savor of the circus or show ring. * 

As saddle horses for gentlemen, self-colors are the best, and 
those distinct. A star in the forehead and two white feet behind 
give character. A snip in the face, if large, is objectionable. 
Four white stockings more so. Bay, brown and dark chestnut 
are the preferable colors. If the horse is exceptionally stylish, 
black and dapple gray are good colors. Gray horses are often • 
bad tempered, and black horses are not as a rule, docile. For 
ladies' use a dark cream color with white mane and tail, or that 
rare combination, a dark chestnut with darker tail and mane 
are elegant if of good form. So a strawberry roan, if unexcept- 
ionable in style and form, is elegant. 



-71- 

For single or double light driving, all distinct colors are 
good. Uneven or curiously marked horses are allowable in a 
fancy team — as a mit- match in distinct colors — as it is called. 
The colors should be distinct and in strong contrast, or else 
harmonious. A chestnut and a dark bay would be harmonious, 
and yet distinct colors. So would be a chestnut and a brown ; | 
a cream with white mane and tail, and a chestnut with dark 
mane and tail would show a marked contrast, and yet be ele- 
gant; so would be cream-colored horses so marked. A pur* 
white and a jet black would be the most marked contrast possi- 
ble, and not for a moment admissable, except both were faultless 
in form and style of going. Here in fact is where the fine art 
lies in teams of two distinct colors : Whatever the mismatch in 
'color, the team should be as near alike in form and carriage as 
possible. 

XIV. Action. 

There are really but two styles of action : low, smooth, safe 
action, and high-stepping, showy action. The latter of little 
account except for parade and showing off on the road in con- 
nection with fine style. A high-stepping colt is as unsafe as he 
ungainly. The action that is slow and safe, and fast and safe, if 
combined in an animal is invaluable 

A horse with really good action moves all his limbs evenly, 
and brings his hind legs well under him at every movement. 
Some horses with round action in front — paddlers they are 
called — are often staunch and sure-footed, but this in spite of this 
action, not in consequence of it. Horses that straddle behind 
are often exceedingly fast trotters. Yet neither of these move- 
ments are what would be sought, either in a fine saddle horse 
or in a good harness horse. 

XV. Past-walking Horses. 

I have before stated that a perfect and fast walking gait 

is not only indispensable to every horse, but the most valuable 

gait a norse could have for every day use. Yet we seldom see a 

horse that will walk four and a half or five miles an hour, even 
e 



-72- 

when urged and in regular 1-2-3-4 time, nodding his head har- 
moniously in cadence. If a purchaser gets such a horse, or 
one that will do four miles under the saddle without stumbling, 
shuffling, dropping the step or breaking, be sure you have a good 
one at speed, if he has speed, for many great walkers are so 
broad chested that they cannot trot fast, and in galloping they 
"will roll. Yet occasionally a horse will be found good at all 
gaits. "VThen so, it is the result of exceptionably good form and 
careful training. He who can so train a horse, may get a long 
price for his trouble and skill. 

XVI. What a Horse Should Be. 

I have been very minute in stating the points of perfection in * 
a horse, and have been particular in urging that the lungs, limbs 
and feet should be super-excellent. From one of the best authori- 
ties, I quote the following upon the physical structure of the 
horse, as describing physical perfection and perfect conformation. 

"The points of the physical structure of a horse on which the 
imost, indeed the whole of his utility depends, are his legs. With- 
out his locomotors all the rest, however beautiful it may be, is 
worth nothing. Therefore, to these we look first. The fore- 
shoulder should be long, obliquely set, with a considerable slope, 
high in the withers and thin above. The upper arm should be 
very long and muscular, the knee broad, flat and bony, the shank, 
or cannon bone, as short as may be, flat, not round, with clean, 
firm sinews ; the pastern joints moderately long and oblique, but 
not too much so, as the excess produces springiness and weakness; 
the hoofs firm, erect or deep, as opposed to flat, and the feet gen- 
erally large and round. In the hind-legs the quarters should be 
large, powerful, broad when looked at in profile, and square and 
solid from behind. The hams should be sickle-shaped, not straight , 
and well let down, so as to bring the hocks well toward the ground. 
The hocks should be large and bony, straight, not angular and 
convexly curved in their posterior outlines ; the shanks, cor- 
responding to the cannon bones, short and flat, and the hind feet 
similar in form to the front. The back should be short above, 



-73- 

from the point of the withers and shoulder-blade, which ougln 
to ran well back to the croup. The barrel should be round, and 
for a horse in which strength and quickness are looked to more 
than great speed and stride, closely ribbed up. A horse can 
scarcely be too deep from the tip of his shoulder to the intersection 
of his fore-leg — which is called the heart-place — or too wide in 
the chest, as room in these parts gives free play to the most im- 
portant vitals. The form of the neck and setting on of the head 
are essential not only to the beauty of the animal, but to the 
facility and pleasure of riding or driving him ; hence, with an ill- 
shaped, short, stubborn neck, or ill set on head, the animal cannot 
by any possibility be a pleasant-mouthed horse, or an easy one to 
manage. The neck should be moderately long, convexly arched 
above from the shoulders to the crest, thin where it joins the 
head, and so set on that when yielding to the bit it forms a semi- 
circle, like a bended bow, and brings the chin downward and 
inward until it nearly touches the chest. Horses so made are 
always manageable to the hand. The converse of this neck, 
which is concave above and stuck out at the windpipe like a cock's 
wattle, is the worst possible form ; and horses go made almost 
invariably throw up their heads at a pull, and the most ex- 
ceptionable of brutes, regular star-gazers. The head should be 
rather small, bony, not beefy, in the jowl ; broad between the 
eyes, and rather concave, or what is called basin-faced, than 
Roman-nosed, between the eyes and nostrils. The ears should be 
hue, small and pointed ; the eyes large, clear and prominent, and 
the nostrils wide and well opened. A horse so framed cannot 
fail, if free from physical defects, constitutional disease and vice, 
to be a good one for any purpose — degree of strength, lightness 
and speed being weighed in accordance with the purpose ibr 
which he is desired." 

The following form is a good one to use in purchasing a horse : 

Received (insert place and date) of Mr (insert name) 

Dollars .for. . . .(describe horse or mare, and pedigree of same, if any) 

warranted yean old (state age) sound, fret from vue, 

mud quitt U ndt *r drive. 



—74-' 

When filled out this might read as follows : 

Received^ St. Louis, Mo., March ist, 1880, of Mr. John Doe, Jive ..undred 
dollars Jor a bay mare by Lancer, dam Lady, warranted Jive years old and under 
six years, sound, free from vice, and quiet to ride or drive. 

Biohabd Bob. 

This, with such careful examination as I have advised, ought 
to insure any buyer against danger in case the seller is solvent. ' 



How to Feed, Water and Groom. 



I. Laying the Foundation. 

The feeding of horses must be either simple or complex ac- 
cording to the circumstances under which they are placed -and 
the nature of the work required of them. It would, for in- 
stance, be as foolish with the farm or ordinary work horse to 
pamper with lire-warmed stables, highly stimulating food, and 
exquisite grooming, together with all the paraphernalia of 
blankets, hoods, bandages for the legs, and necessities of the 
trotting or racing stable, as it would be to allow this latter class 
to receive only the same care and attention usually bestowed up- 
on the team kept solely for the plow and other drudgery of the 
farm. At the same time the extremes to which horses are sub- 
ject, either in the farm or racing stables, might well be modified 
in very many cases to the health and well being either of the 
farm horse or the pampered and high-bred racer. That is to say, 
racers are often " drawn down " to fine, and the ordinary work 
horse too often suffers from neglect. Thus in the first class we 
see a number of diseases seldom shown in the stables of horses 
with sufficient care, while the stables of horses carefully kept 
seldom suffer with the class of diseases found when horses are 
allowed to go dirty from day to day, and often from week to 
week. 

To commence at the beginning, the breeder who would suc- 
ceed with any class of horses, should see that the mare, while 
carrying the foal , has sufficient food and shelter, and that the 
foal itself is sufficient nourished during the period of growth. 
Nothing is gained by insufficient sheltei and food, whatever the 
use for which the animal is intended, and this brings us to th« 
question of tbo food itself. 



-Te- 
ll. What to Feed. 

In the West the feed of all horses of whatever class is oatfe, 
Indian com, bran and hay. Whatever the work to be done, 
bran should always be kept, since a horse being off his feed, or 
slightly ailing from any cause not indicative of violent disease, 
bran mashes with good nursing will bring him out all right in 
nine cases out of ten. So, in the Winter when horses are con* 
fined to hard food, a bran-mash once a week should be given. 
On the farm there is nothing better than an occasional feed of 
roots— carrots, Swedish turnips, or mangel wurtzel — being valu- 
able in the order named. If a peck of these could be given 
daily as an evening or noonday meal, the good effects of this 
feeding would be quickly shown. For the mares before foaling 
time, for the farm or draft horse, for the carriage horses of the 
citizen, and even for the fast driven roadster, or racer, when not 
being driven to exhaustive work, these will be found valuable. 

The foal itself should be learned to eat roots as quickly as pos. 
eible, and if the mare takes kindly to them it will not be a diffi. 
cult matter for the foal to learn to eat them. As to the other 
food of the young colt or filly, oats alone with grass or hay, ac- 
cording to the season, should be allowed. In the Winter, half 
oats and half corn may be given with benefit, unless the young 
things are intended for racing or trotting, and are kept in warm 
stables; then Indian corn would not be desirable, as being too 
heating under the circumstances. 

For the ordinary farm team, or other horses of slow work, In- 
dian corn may be the main dependence in Winter, in connection 
with good hay ; especially so if a few roots can be allowed as a 
portion of the daily provender. For fast working horses, sound 
oats and hay will be the priciple dependence, but in the Winter 
I have always given one-third of the weight of the daily grain 
ration in Indian corn, and we have always thought, with decided 
benefit. 

III. When to Peed. 

The importance of strict regularity in feeding is underesti- 
mated by nine-tenths of the ordinary feeders, and by fully one- 
half of the stablemen having the care of well bred horses, The 



-77- 

horse, for whatever purpose he is used, if actively employed, 
should not get less than three feeds a day, besides the hay he 
eats during the night. All fast working horses should have 
four feeds a day. The hours of feeding are of prime import- 
ance. These should be, as closely as possible, at six in the 
morning, at noon, and at six at night, except at those press- 
ing seasons of extra labor, when the morning feed may be an 
hour earlier and the evening feed an hour latter. In this case, 
however, nose-bags should be carried to the field, or they should 
be turned to the wagon at 10 a. m. and at 4 p. m. to take one-third 
their usual allowance, as given morning and evening, which 
meals, as a rule, should be rather more than the noonday feed. 
When corn is the main dependence as feed these lunches should 
be of oats, and if bruised so much the better. 

Fast working horses should receive their food four times a 
day, at six in the morning, at ten, at two, and at nine at night. 
Carriage horses should be feed the same number of times, the 
first feed being at six, and the last after their real work for the 
day is done, say at nine at night, since simply going to some 
place of amusement at eleven o'clock or later can hardly be 
called work. The mid-morning and afternoon meals will depend 
upon the hours at which they are generally used, 9 a. m. and 1 
p. m. begin the usual times for feeding. 

IV. Watering. 

Watering and the water used is of fully as much importance as 
the feeding. A horse is particular as to the water he drinks, 
but yet may be accustomed to any water without detriment if it 
be fit for human use. The water of large lakes, rivers and run- 
ning brooks is best and in the order named. That of ponds 
without outlet or inlet the worst ; in fact pond water should 
never be used ; well water is altogether better and may be given 
without fear, when used constantly, but as with man, the horse 
accustomed to lake or river water, which is always partially 
soft, should be given well water, when necessity requires, with 
care ;*-od only in small quanties, the change being gradually 
made* Water should always be offered before feeding, aud 



-78- 

never given in large drafts immediately after feeding; two ta 
four quai'ts may be given with benefit immediately after dry 
feed, to properly moisten the stomach, and it may be freely given 
in two or throe hours after feeding. When driving, water should 
be offered, especially in hot weather at every stop, but oniy a few 
quarts should be taken at a time, for a heated horse, like a heated 
man, will take more than is good for him. Upon stopping, 
wash the horse's mouth with a sponge soaked in water, and let 
him swallow each time two or three light sips, just enough to 
moisten the throat, and upon starting, give him four to six 
quarts each as the occasion seems to demand. Under no circum- 
stance allow a heated horse to drink heartily. Farm teams and 
slow draft horses, at ordinary labor, may be allowed what they 
will naturally drink, but when heated the same rule must be ob- 
served as with hard driven horses. With these simple rules 
kept in view any intelligent owner or driver may keep his team 
fresh and without danger. 

V. Kinds and Quantities of Pood to be Given. 

I have already spoken of the proper food to be given under 
ordinary circumstances; they are sound, whole grain, and 
bright, clean hay. Certain classes of horses, as omnibus horses, 
stage horses, car horses, and the draft horses of large mercantile 
firms in cities, are generally fed ground feed and cut hay. When 
the hours of feeding and rest may be estimated with accuracy, 
this is on the whole as conducive to the health of the animal 
as may be, when the economy of such feeding is considered, 
especially when we remember that in large cities a regular veteri- 
nary surgeon is employed, who visits the stables regularly to 
look after the well-being of the horses, and also where the sup- 
erintendents and foremen are supposed to be experts. 

On the farm, and in the stables of road-driving horsemen, and 
where carriage horses are kept, cut feed may very properly and 
economically form from one-third to one-half of the daily food 
given. When only one feed is given it should be in the morn- 
ing: when two are given, they should be the morning and 
evening feed*. 



-79- 

As to the quantity to be given, no definite rule oan be laid 
down. The horso must have a quantity fully sufficient to keep 
him well up to his work. Hard working horses may, if reg- 
ularly fed, have what grain and hay they will eat clean, and in 
this case there is no better judge than the animal itself, except in 
the case of ravenous gluttons, sometimes found among horses 
as in the human family. Elaborate rules have been laid down 
by theorists, including a per cent, of grain according to the 
weight of the animal. In practice they will not work, since the 
labor, condition of the animal, temperature of the season, and of 
stables must be considered. In the large omnibus stables where 
all the work is to be got out of horses that they can endure, from 
ten to fourteen pounds of cut hay per day are given, with from 
eighteen to twenty pounds of corn meal. Mix into provender, and 
on it they will go from eighteen to twenty miles each day. With 
this about three pounds of sale may be allowed each month. Some 
stablemen do not feed more than one pound, arguing that a large 
quantity produces profuse staling; others feed up to four. In 
times of extra severe labor the cornmeal is increased by about 
three pounds. It would be better if the three pounds of meal 
•were omitted and one extra feed of six quarts of whole oats be 
substituted, and given daily. The average livery horse may be 
kept in good condition on twelve pounds of hay and eight pounds 
of cornmeal daily, to be given at two feeds with the addition of 
six quarts of oats at noon, eight pounds of hay to bo fed cut, 
with the meal, and four pounds from the manger. This same 
feed would do for ordinary farm horses at usual work, or if the 
grain is fed whole, five quarts of shelled corn, or its equivalent 
in ears, and six quarts of oats, with what hay will be eaten 
should keep the animal in working condition. 

VI. How to Prepare the Pood. 

In preparing chopped feed, half the hay to be used, or clean, 
bright, long straw cut into about three-quarters to one inch 
lengths, should be put into the mixing trough half an hour before 
it i3 to be mixed, and thoroughly moistened. On this throw the 
naeaU mill-feed, or whatever article is to be used, and moisten it. 



-80 — 

Then cover with sufficient hay to make the mesa for the desired 
number of horses, weighing both hay and meal. Let it stand 
until feeding time, when the whole should be worked over and 
over until thoroughly mixed. If salt is given with the mess, put 
in the required quantity for each horse, from one-quarter to half 
an ounce per horse each feed. Many stablemen mix the mess half 
a day in advance, but this we do not like. Horses, like men, like 
their food fresh. An iron box is best for mixing, and it should be 
thoroughly cleaned after each meal. 

VII. How to Make Mashes, Gruel and Hay-tea. 

The ordinary sweet mash, as usually made, is to take four 
quarts of good bran, moisten it gradually with hot water, and 
then mix with what boiling water will bring it up to the proper 
consistency for eating, covering it with a cloth and feeding either 
warm or cold as the animal will eat it. What salt will lie on a 
quarter dollar may or may not be mixed with it. 

A better mash, especially for dry fed horses, is to boil two 
quarts of oats and a pint of linseed, for each horse, for about 
three hours, and then mix with it sufficient bran to bring it to a 
proper consistency. Cover with a cloth and feed cold. Such a 
mash given once a week, if the horses are on average feed, will 
keep their bowels in condition. If off their feed, add a little salt, 
and a half pint of molasses. 

Gruel is one of the best possible things for a beaten out horse. 
Stir gradually in a gallon of water, a pint or a quart of oat- meal, 
or half flour and half corn-meal, according as the horse likes it 
thick or thin, and fill up the pail with cold water. If the horse 
hesitates about drinking it, give him first a mouthful of water. 
If he be very tired a quart of sound ale will do him good, but 
under no circumstances, when exhausted, should he be given a feed 
either of grain or hay. If the horse will take nothing else, turn 
down a bottle of sound ale, rub him until dry and refreshed, and 
then feed. 

Hay tea is also a good stimulant. To make it — fill a bucket 
ijhree-quarters full of bright, clean hay, pour over it enough boil- 



- 81 

tag water to fill the pail, and cover tight, to keep in the steam. 
I*res8 the hay down occasionally, let it stand fifteen minutes, turn 
off, and add water enough to make a bucket three-quarters full. 
Give to the horse when the liquid is cool enough to drink. 

VIII. The Value of Hay and Straw. 

In the feeding of horses the principal use of hay is to distend 
ike stomach. For this reason lean horses, and those just off the 
pasture on coarse feed, require more than those which are reg- 
ularly stabled and groomed. The change to grain must not be 
too sudden, else indigestion is apt to set in. Once a horse is used 
to full rations of grain, if oats are used, or corn meal and bran, 
he may get along daily with from six to eight pounds of hay a 
day. The hay, however, must be of the very best, bright, clean 
and free from dust. There is no economy in feeding bad hay. 
It is the cause of heaves, broken wind and other diseases pro- 
duced by indigestion. Good clean straw is altogether better than 
poor hay. Straw is altogether the best material for bedding, and 
should always be used when it can be had. In the West it is 
plenty, and yet not one farmer in ten uses it for bedding in suf- 
ficient quantity, or renews it often enough. 

IX. Feeding Grain. 

The moet economical way of feeding grain is in its whole state. 
Oats and corn should be shaken in a sieve with a mesh so small 
that it will not go through, all dust and light matter blown away, 
and all stones, bits of iron or wire, carefully picked out. It will 
pay to do this. In feeding corn allow one-half the measure of 
shelled corn that would be deemed sufficient of oats, since corn 
weighs about double that of oats. If corn in the ear is fed, one- 
third more by measure heaped should be allowed than when 
shelled grain is used. 

Some horses eat their grain better for being moistened. Horses 
with bad teeth always bolt their food whole. All such horses, 
and also aged ones, should be fed cut hay and ground feed. 



-82- 

X. Stable Care and Training. 

The importance of steadiness and care in the management ot 
the stable and in the cleaning of horses cannot be over-estimated. 
A brutal stableman, or one which a horse fears, should be im- 
mediately discharged. There is indeed now and then a horse 
that requires to be kept in terror. These of course are exceptions. 
The competent stable-man should use neither fear nor brutality. 

Many stable-men imagine the curry comb is an instrument for 
cleaning the legs and body of the horse. It is an instrument for 
cleaning the brush and for loosening the scurf on the fleshy—not 
bony — parts of the body. In using the curry comb, do so lightly, 
carrying it in circles rather than in straight lines. Use a wisp of 
hay for rubbing the dust from the legs, and something like a corn 
cob for the fetlocks, finishing with the brush. In brushing, do so 
thorough^, with firm, long strokes, where possible, being careful 
in working about the head and bony parts. Clean the brush 
often by passing it over the teeth of the curry comb. When the 
ecurf and dust are thoroughly cleaned out, go over the horse with 
a damp wisp of hay, and finish with dry cloths, being particular 
to get any particles of dirt out of the fetlocks, the ears, about the 
head, next the tail, below the thighs, under the jaws, and between 
the fore-legs. Ahorse thus cleaned, whether he belongs to the farm 
or the city stable will not occasion shame on the part of the owner. 

It is a question among horsemen, whether when a team comes 
in wet and muddy at night, it is proper to wash them. We 
have never found advantage in so doing. Clothe them warmly, 
bandage the legs loosely, and when dry, clean them, at least so 
far as removing the dirt, and getting up a glow at the surface 
is concerned. Thus handled, horses will seldom be found liable 
to surfeit, scratches, grease, and other diseases induced by 
checking the natural perspiration. 

XI. The Time to Clean. 

Clean when the horse is dirty. Always once a day when the 
horse is kept in the stable. Horses that run in the fields in 
Summer, or in the shed yard in Winter require no cleaning. 



-83- 

Before work horses are littered down for the night they shomla 
be again thoroughly cleaned if necessary. 

Whenever the horse comes into the stable from the plow or 
wagon, for the day, he should be thoroughly cleaned when dry 
enough, and if sweating or otherwise wet should be thoroughly 
Bcraped at once. The scraper is a thin, flexible piece of wood ; 
a section of barrel hoop makes a good one. 

XII. Care of the Feet. 

The feet are half the horse, in fact a horse with bad feet, is as 
near a worthless animal as possible. Attention to the feet is 
therefore of the first importance. In this connection shoeing is 
to be attended to. Know that the blacksmith understands his 
business. The horse's foot should be a study, and every horse- 
man should understand the anatomy of the foot. When the 
horse is brought in from work, each foot should be lifted, cleaned, 
and examined with the picker to see that no gravel or other 
hard substance has found lodgment between the shoe and hoof, 
or about the frog. Examine the frog to see that no substance 
is wedged therein, and that no nail or other sharp object has 
pierced the sole. If the hoofs are inclined to be hard and 
dry, fill them with a mixture of cow-dung and clay, or with 
oakum saturated with tar and petroleum. Watch them for 
contraction of the hoof, caused by allowing the shoe to remain 
on too long, or from bad shoeing. If the frog gets torn and 
ragged, cut the ragged edges but leave the frog intact. If the 
hoof be found pierced with a nail, and you are not perfectly 
sure you have pulled out every bit, cut it out at whatever labor 
it may be to you, or pain to the animal. Then dress the wound 
with tow saturated with tar. If the hoofs are inclined to be hard 
and brittle, oil them occasionally, or let the horse stand, say for 
an hour or two, or for a half a day on Sunday, in a box-stall of 
soft clay and cow-manure, coming pretty well up the hoofs. 

XIII. Blanketing— When Necessary. 

A blanket is always necessary when a horse is standing in the 
stable in Winter. A light sheet is about as necessary in Summer, 
during fly time A blanket should always be thrown over the 



-84- 

horse in cold weather, or even in the cool weather of Spring and 
Autnmn, when standing after being driven. A horse should 
always be blanketed when standing in a draft, or in the rain, 
using a cloth or rubber blanket as the case may be. In blanket- 
ing a horse, see that the blanket is sufficiently large to cover the 
animal from the neck to the tail, see also that the breast flaps 
are sufficient to protect this sensitive part, and that the blanket 
is large enough to cover the sides and flank fully. If not do not 
buy it at any price. 

XIV. Proper Tools for tlie Stable. 

The tools necessary for cleaning a horse properly may be very 
few or many. As a rule any horse may be properly cleaned 
with a scraper, a curry comb, a brush, a sponge, a comb, a wisp 
of straw, and a rubbing cloth. Horse pails both for washing the 
horse and for watering are indispensable to any stable but never 
use one for the other. These should be of oak, half an inch 
thick, and with strong iron bails, and to hold fourteen quarts. 
Every stable should have two manure forks, one of steel and on* 
of wood, splint broom, a scoop shovel, and a wheel-b&rrdw, 



Breeding and Raising Horses. 



I. Importance of the Subject. 

No subject connected with the rearing and use of stock can be 
of more importance to the farmer and stock-grower, the intelli- 
gent, practical business man, than that of breeding. That it is 
in every way more profitable to any one who rears and trains a 
single colt to have that colt of the very best rather than of any 
indifferent quality is almost too palpable to need a moment's con- 
sideration. That it is possible for every man of observation and 
good judgment to improve his stock is equally obvious. There 
is no line of work which horses are called upon to perform that 
has not its peculiar requirements, that can be better met by some 
specific kind of animal than by one chosen at haphazard. It is a 
matter, then, of'the plainest common sense that every one who 
means to rear a horse for his own use Bhould consider before- 
hand to what purposes he will most probably devote it. If it is 
designed for market, he needs no less to consult his interests by 
determining what markets are accessible to him, and what de- 
scription of animal will be apt to find most ready sale therein, 
at most remunerative prices. 

For the farmer who wants to breed and rear horses of all 
work, it would be manifestly foolish to seek a high-priced pure- 
blooded race, for his mares, unless the mares themselves were 
of such type as to render it necessary to breed to high and ele- 
gant stallions in order to obtain those medium-sized, but com- 
pact, and moderately quick-paced animals that are so well 
adapted to all the wants of the farmer. 

„ On the other hand, one wanting a light and fleet animal 
would show his lack of judgment in a striking manner who 
should so disregard all the dietates of sound sense as to hope to 
succeed by any chance selection of either mares or stallions. 



The Best Stock the Cheapest. 

It may be laid down as the first rule — a foundation principle-— 
that the very best and purest stock that is really adapted to (lie end in. 
view should be sought after. 

It costs even less to feed a horse of good blood and lineage than 
it does to maintain a scrub ; it costs no more to shelter him ; it 
costs less to groom him and keep him in condition than it does 
to keep the scrub from looking like a scare-crow ; his movement 
is almost invariably smoother and steadier for the same rates of 
speed ; his temper is generally better ; his pluck and energy not 
less so ; and if it is found necessary to put him upon the market, 
he brings a better rice. The service of a stallion known to be 
of good, generous blood, and possessing adequate powers of 
transmission, must of course cost more ; there must be a dam 
adapted to the obtaining of a foal of the best type possible from 
such a sire; but the penny-wise, pound-foolish policy of refusing 
to avail one's self of these advantages, when in the bounds of 
possibility, is too apparent. 

Taking it for granted, then, that the best, in this case, is 
always the cheapest— that the finer and purer the horse can be, 
other things being equal, the more useful, more easily maintained 
and more marketable he is bound to be, it remains to consider 
some points that must always be regarded by the intelligent 
breeder, who seeks wisely to adapt means to ends rather than 
trust to chance. 

III. Hereditary Tendencies and Immaturity to be 
guarded Against. 

A caution most needful to be insisted upon at the outset is that 
relating to the transmission of tendencies to disease and of actual 
disease itself. It seems that no man in his right senses, know- 
ing the results to the human family when this consideration is 
disregarded, would think for a moment of utterly ignoring the 
possibilities of evil consequences ; but ordinary observation leads 
to the disclosure of the fact that among horses diseases and im- 
paired constitutional powers are often transmitted ia this way, 



-87- 

Hares at an advanced age, too stiff, too weak, too slow to 
be ox" any further active use, are turned to account for breeding 
purposes — and the result is, a weak foal, lacking thrift and lack- 
ing spirit. Mares hacked about until they are ring-boned, spav- 
ined, and splinted, or perhaps dropsical or with a glanderous 
tendency, — no longer useful on the farm or on the road, are re- 
lieved from the work which they can no longer do with any 
chance of profit, and sent to the stallion. Result : a foal with a 
rickety or knotty bony system, or with a tendency to some 
form of dropsy, or ready, in the presence of any exciting cause, 
to develop a case of glanders. And so of other disorders, more 
especially of roaring, thick- wind, blindness, contracted feet, 
grease and affections of the brain and nervous system. Some 
mares have a peculiar predisposition to surfeit, some to swelled 
legs, some to vertigo, some to a sort of unaccountable vicious- 
ness. No wise breeder can afford to disregard these things. If 
he wishes to rear a horse for service, he wants a sound foal ; for 
he knows he can get from such a one more work for less cost than 
from one unsound in bone, muscle, secretions or integument. If 
he designs to breed for market he is aware that neither a puny 
nw a diseased creature can be palmed off there either to his 
profit or his credit. 

To insure healthy, active, thrifty progeny, then, the dam must 
be soumd and vigorous; and this is no less true of the sire. We 
dwell less upon the latter because it is of far less frequent occur- 
rence for a broken down and diseased stallion to be kept for the 
service of mares than for mares of this description to be put 
to breeding because they are known to be fit for nothing else, 
but are erroneously deemed useful for this. The condition of the 
stallion, however, must not be overlooked. Every breeder must 
have a care to choose a vigorous stallion, and one free from 
blemishes, malformation and hereditary taints. 

Nor should mares be put to breeding too young. They should 
be full grown and vigorous, and when their powers begin to fail 
they should no longer be subjected to this service. It is the 
practice of some to begin to breed at two years of age. This is 
isyuriou* to the mare, and otherwise unprofitable to the owner. 



— 88- 

The growth of the mare is hindered ; her form is modified both 
by the weight of the stallion and by carrying the foal. And the 
foal itself is apt to lack fullness and power. Yet, it takes from 
the young mother that sustenance which she needs for her own 
development, so that she is dwarfed, while it grows up a more or 
less puny creature — of insufficient value to compensate for the 
injury done to the dam. No mare should be so used till she is at 
least three years old — four would be the better and more profit- 
able age. It is said that mares which are allowed to mature, and 
are well treated afterwards, will not lose enough of their natural 
vigor to disqualify them for bringing forth good foals till after 
they are twenty years old ; but it is idle to expect good strong, 
well-formed, thrifty, and spirited offspring from a mare that is 
either too young or too old ; or that is subjected, even in matur- 
ity, to hard work, poor and insufficient food, and cruel handling. 

IV. Principles of Transmission. 

Let us next notice this principle, that when the dam and the sire 
both possess a due amount of vigor, the foal will combine in itself the most 
marked characteristics of both , while any quality that is peculiar to either 
of them is apt to be prominent in the offspring. This applies to both 
disposition and physical conformation. 

It will be seen from this statement that no matter what the 
general line of policy to be pursued by the breeder ; that of 
in-and-in, or that of crossing, he must select his stallions and 
mares with the view to having one supplement the other. If the 
mare is deficient in any point, the horse should be full or pre- 
dominant there, and vice versa ; and if any peculiar trait is desired, 
that should be very strongly developed in either sire or dam, 
while merely nominal in the other. 

Another special point to be considered is this : that for the pro- 
duction of a full-formed, symmetrical, vigorous, and thrifty foal, 
\ the mare should be proportionately larger than the horse. An overgrown 
stallion, of great power, serving a mare of diminutive size, or of 
size somewhat less in proportion than his own, will beget her a 
strong embryo that will require more room and more nourish- 
ment than the mare can afford ; and the result must be weakness; 



and, probably, deformity — almost inevitably diminntive size. 
Men's minds were particularly called to this fact in Great Britian 
when, during a course of years, the farmers of Yorkshire thought 
that by breeding their mares to the very largest stallions they 
could find, and without regard to the size of the mare, thev could 
meet the demand in London for gieat o^ ergrown horses, which 
it was then the fashion to drive in coaches and other heavy 
carriages. The result was a race of almost worthless creatures. 

In other points than mere size, more depends upon the selection 
of the mare than that of the horse. The great majority are mares 
bred after their own stock unless the stallion is so powerful as to 
neutralize or overcome this physiological peculiarity ; so that it 
is necessary for her to be of goc d lineage if the best results are 
wanted. If she has come from diseased, vicious, or in any way 
evil ancestry, though she may be free from perceptible taint, the 
bad points of her stock will very probably appear in her offspring. 
This principle makes it necessary to have a regard for her color 
and for the color that i known to have been prevalent in her line, 
since any dirty, vari-tinted, and otherwise disagreeable colors 
may appear in a foal of hers if her progenitors have had such a hue. 

V. The Two Methods, "In-and-in" and "Cross" 
Breeding Considered. 

As for the two leading methods of breeding, circumstances 
generally determine which the farmer or other breeder on a 
moderate scale is to adopt. He is now almost always under the 
absolute necessity of crossing ; and the main point with him is, 
hoiv to cross, in order to secure the best results. The main direc- 
tions are already laid down, with sufficient minuteness to enable 
anyone of ordinary intelligence to judge as to the best means. 
One point must not be overlooked, that really to improve the 
stock of horses as to blood — to obtain a strain that has the power 
of transmitting itself, and of so continuing in a steady line of 
improvement, recourse must be had to pure blooded horses. 
The English racer or thoroughbred is almost our sole reliance in 
this respect : although an Arab may occasionally be found. Tha 



true Norman Pereheron is endowed with this characteristic of 
pure-blooded horses — he has great powers of impressing himself 
upon his offspring, and perpetuating the strain ; but he is too 
heavy for the ordinary run of mares in this country, and if heavy 
draft stock rather than the lighter horse of all work is wanted, 
the Percheron mare should also be used — or some other of equal 
length and weight. Good mares of the common mixed breeds in 
the United States, bred to the light Arab, Barb, or thorough-bred 
stallions, will almost invariably produce foals partaking of their 
own size and strength, and of the finer forms, activity, and wind 
of the stallion. It is difficult to lay down any specific rule for 
crossing. The whole matter must be left to the good sense of the 
breeder, after the general statement of principles set forth. If 
the breeder ha3 in view a mere racer, and is unable to obtain 
both thorough-bred mare and stallion, let him seek the racing 
stallion, at least, and one that will, as previously directed, sup- 
plement his mare— supply the points in which she is wanting for 
that specific purpose. If he wishes a trotter, the same care must 
be observed. Trotting horses are of late days in great demand 
throughout the United States. 

" Gold Dust," was a Kentucky horse, foaled near Lexington, the 
property of L. L. Dorsey, a few years prior to the civil war. 
He was mixed blooled, having been sired by Vermont Morgan, 
a great trotter, while his dam had in her both Arabian and 
thoroughbred blood. 

It is worthy of consideration on the part of the breeder that 
the colts of " Gold Dust " showed stronger marks of their 
Arabian and English ancestry, which came by his dam's side, 
than of the Morgan, his sire, so superior is the pure blooded horse 
as a transmitter of his own qualities, and an improver of breed, 
" Gold Dust " is worthy of study. He was not only beautiful, 
but a horse of the finest action — a fast walker and famous as a 
trotter. When native American stallions such as he could bo 
found, the owner of good mares need not repine if he finds it 
impossible to come at the much-to-be-desired pure blooded for- 
eigner. He may rest assured of getting improved colts, and of 
•men character as will, if judiciously handled, perpetuate, to 



-91- 

Bome extent at least, their own good qualities. Such horses are 
to be found in these days. The common sense of the breeder 
will select them. 

If it is heavy draft stock that is to be sought, the Norman 
Percheron stallion, as we have previously intimated, ought to 
be had, provided the breeder has mares of such size as to render 
it judicious to put them to so large a horse ; otherwise, the Nor- 
man Percheron mare may be most advantageously bred to some 
native stallion, say a Morgan a good Canadian, or some other 
compactly built and quick-paced horse. 

But it is unnecessary to extend these suggestions. If the breed- 
er will consider with care what he really wants, and observe the 
points upon which we have touched, he will be at no loss to 
judge intelligently what course to pursue when cross-breeding is 
his only resource. He may often, of course, find it difficult to 
obtain just the stallion which his judgment tells him he should 
have for his class of mares ; but this is a pointed argument in 
favor of that care which our farmers should long ago have exer- 
cised in this matter. Intelligent attention to the improvement 
of our stock throughout the Union will soon make it possible 
for them to select their stallions, rather than be forced to take 
up with every hack that comes along with a flourish of red sur- 
cingles and a wonderful pedigree, manufactured to order. 

As to in-and-in breeding, but little need be said. All the long 
winded, voluminous, and learned discussions of the subject have 
resulted in adding but little more to our stock of knowledge 
than thisS that too close in-and-in breeding is likely to bring 
about weakness, malformation, and general deterioration ; but 
that to fix and preserve and intensify a certain strain, the Jew, 
(to speak in a figure), must not intermarry with the heathens 
round about him. In other words, to have true Morgans, both 
sire and dam must be of that stock, though of different families : 
to keep up the real Norman Percheron horse, we must have 
Norman Percherons, both male and female, to breed from ; and 
so on. 

The objection to close in-and-in breeding seems to be here : that 
nearness of kin is apt to be associated with likeness of qualities, 



-92- 

both physical and mental (if we may so speak of the horse) j 
and thus the great requirement that one parent must supplement 
the other is not complied with. If there is a weak point in 
both, the weakness is perpetuated and made worse, whereas, a 
weak point in one should be counteracted by a correspondingly 
strong point in the other. If it could be known with absolute 
certainly that two animals, close of kin, had strongly marked 
opposite traits of character, constitution and conformation, they 
might be bred to each other, and with the best results. Such is 
sometimes the case ; but it is not likely to be, and the rule should 
be as we have said — let the strain be the same, but the kinship 
as far removed as possible. This is believed by the most candid 
observers to be the secret of Arab success. The individual 
breeder knows not alone his own animals, but those of his 
tribe, and of other tribes as well. Moreover, the Arabs are close 
observers and astute judges of horse flesh, and an intelligent son 
* of the Desert could by no reasonable means be induced to breed 
his mare to a stallion in which his eye had marked some weak- 
ness or evil tendency which he knew the mare likewise to pos- 
sess, however slight the indicatious might be in either. 

Then, to recapitulate briefly : if the breeder has it in his 
power to keep up a certain stock, let him guard against the 
slightest admixture of heathen blood ; and to be as sure as pos- 
sible of no evil results, let him look to securing sires and dams 
as widely removed from kinship as possible ; but he can never 
afford to disregard the point previously so much insisted upon, 
as a principle to be observed in crossing, that if either parent has 
a fault, the other must be correspondingly strong there. 

VI. Treatment of the Mare after being Served, 
During Pregnancy, Etc. 

It is proper next to notice some little matters of detail in con- 
nection with the management of brood mares. 

Forty -four weeks is regarded as the time which a mare goes 
with foal ; but this must be taken as mean time, since one occa- 
sionally brings forth a perfect colt four or five weeks sooner, and 



-93- 

othew wtD go equally as long beyond this period. When once the 
time of a mare is known, the breeder can generally regulate her go- 
ing to the horse so as to have the colt appear at whatever season he 
considers most desirable, but without this knowledge he cannot. 

After having being served by a horse, the mare should be allowed 
to stand idle awhile, as conception will be far more apt to take place 
if she is left to herself. If put to brisk motion, or to any strain 
immediately after Population, she is apt to fail of conception. 
6he should also be kept away from string-proud or badly cas- 
trated geldiugs, not only at this period, but during her entire 
pregnancy, as they are apt to worry her to the casting of the 
conception, or, at a later period, to slinking the foal. 

After she has been allowed a reasonable season of quiet, mod- 
erate work will be rather beneficial than injurious ; and this may 
be kept up until about the time for foaling. Special care should 
always be exercised to guard her against being kicked, heavily 
thrown, or inordinately strained in any way. 

It sometimes occurs that at the time of foaling, a false pre- 
sentation is made, producing difficulty of delivery ; but no reli- 
able instructions can be here given as to what course to pursue 
in these cases ; and it is best to seek the aid of some skillful 
veterinary surgeon. 

The mare which has had a colt will be found in season some- 
time within the next thirty days, and she ought to go to the 
horse at this time if she is to be bred at all. The ninth day after 
foaling will generally be found to be the right time. Whenever 
indications of heat are discovered, the matter should not be de- 
layed, as the season may pass off and not return. After put- 
ting, the days of trail are the ninth, then, if she refuses, the 
seventh after this, and upon a second refusal, the fifth after 
this, which is sufficient to prove her. 

VII. How to Know whether a Mare is in Foal. 

It is often important for both breeders and traders to know 
whether a mare is really in foal ; and one prominent writer has 
published the following directions for determining this point, 
which he says may be implicitly relied on : 



—94— 

" After the first service of the horse, and before the next 
trial, on examining the vagina, or bearing, if conception has not 
taken place it will be of a fresh, bright, or florid and moist ap- 
pearance, with a clear drop appearing at the lower part, and 
which, if touched will incline to extend ; but if conception is 
present, a different appearance of the surface of the vagina will 
be presented. It will be. found dry, and of a dirty brown or 
rust color ; and a dark, brown looking drop will replace the for- 
mer clear drop. When these latter appearances are present, 
pregnancy may be regarded as certain." 

VIII. How to Know Time of Foaling. 

Two days (in some mares only one), before foaling, a sort of 
sticky substances will be found protruding from each teat, 
somewhat resembling drops of milk. Care should now be taken 
to provide a suitable place for her, as this is a certain indication 
of near delivery. She should be removed from other animals, 
and a careful person should see to her often enough to guard 
against accidents. 

Before the signs referred to, as shown by the teats, however, 
there is on each side of the spinal column, from the tail to 
the haunch, a furrow-like fold ; and the bag will generally be 
found considerably increased in size. These signs show that 
delivery is not very remote, but cannot be relied on to denote 
the day. 

IX. Abortion, or Slinking the Foal. * 

When about half the time of pregnancy is passed, more than 
ordinary pains should be taken with the mare, as it is at this 
time, if at all, that she is apt to slink. She ought now to have 
better feeding, and even gentler handling than she had pre- 
viously ; though at all times the owner but consults his own in- 
terests when he carefully guards her against ill usage. She has 
more need of food, and is less able, at this time, to endure hun- 
ger, as the rapid growth of the foetus makes a constant and 
severe draft upon her system. What of care may cause abor- 



Mon ; and If a mare once casts her foal, she is apt to do so at a 

corresponding period of preguancy afterwards, — more especially 
if like provocation occurs. 

Various other causes of abortion, some of which may be 
briefly referred to, for the purpose of pointing out certain pre- 
Tentive measures and suggesting others. Blows, strains, and 
any violent excitement may have this effect ; and it is said that 
to allow a mare to see and smell food to which she has been ac- 
customed, and of which she is fond, without suffering her to eat 
of it, will cause slinking. Feeding hogs or other stock upon corn 
in sight of a mare that is not also thus fed, is, for this reason dan- 
gerous. Sympathy, is a known cause: a pregnant mare, seeing 
another cast her foal, is apt to be affected in like manner. 
Nervous spasms, or a sort of animal hysteria, resulting from 
sympathy of the womb with a diseased stomach or other organ, 
occasionally results in causing the foal to be cast. Some affirm 
that a smell of blood, or of freshly slaughtered meat, Mill do it. 

If a mare slinks beca.use of a hurt, a strain, or some acute 
attack of disease, she is not apt to fall into the habit of abortion, 
provided proper care is taken to guard against exciting causes at 
a corresponding period of her next pregnancy. 

When once this tendency is established, however, it is difficult 
to counteract it, as the slinking is more than likety to take place 
at times when the mare is not under observation. If symptons 
of casting chance to be discovered in time, it may be prevented 
by promptly burning pigeon feathers (or those of other birds, if 
these cannot be obtained), on a hot pan, or a pan of coals, and 
holding them so that she will be obliged to inhale the smoke. 

X. How to Raise Colts. 

If the colt is healthy and thriving, he should be waaDed at 
from five to six months old. If allowed to run with the dam 
after this period, he is an unnecessary burden to her, since ho 
has already learned to pick up and devote to his own use other 
sustenance, and he may most judiciously be taken away. If 
at this time the dam is still inclined to furnish milk so copi- 
ously as to render the udder painful to her, she should be lookwi 



after for a few days, to see that the over fullness does not resul 
in inflammation and swelling. If necessary, draw away the 
milk by hand once a day for three days. It is a good plan to 
keep her at this time on dryer food than usnal, and at more than 
ordinarily steady work. This course will tend to prevent the 
secretion of the usual quantity of milk, and the udder will soon 
be dry. 

No matter how well born a colt may be he can never amount 
to anything if raised a starveling. If the dam is what she should 
be, he will have been furnished with abundant sustenance from 
the time of conception to that of delivery, which is one of the 
secrets of full formed, finely-proportioned, vigorous foals. From 
foal-time to weaning he will have been kept vigorous and grow- 
ing by the quantity and character of the milk furnishd him, to- 
gether with such little food as he has early learned to partake oi 
at the manger and in the pasture of the dam. And, now upon 
being weaned, it is of the utmost importance that he have liberal 
food and sufficient protection from the inclemencies of the 
weather. This must be carefully attended to during the whole 
period of growth if he is expected to make any adequate return 
to the owner. Bruised oats and bran have been recommended as 
the very best food to be given for a considerable time after wean« 
ing. In any event let his food be supplied with regularity ; and 
it must be nutritious, yet of such kind and so disposed as to be 
easily taken. 

He should not be stabled too much, nor in any other way too 
closely confined — being allowed all that range and exposure to 
out-door weather common to older stock in the more clement 
seasons ; but he should never be left out in cool rains nor in the 
storms and biting cold of Winter. If a place is provided in 
which he may always shelter himself when the condition of the 
weather inclines him to seek cover, it will save trouble and yet 
insure a natural growth and that hardihood which comes of suf- 
ficient contact with cold and heat. For this purpose a straw 
rick is sometimes recommended — so coustructed as to furnish 
shelter on the side. This will give at the sam time bedding an<* 
n light species of food. 



-97- 

Provisions mubt of course be made for his obtaining readily, and 
at such times as the wants of nature may di<?*ute, plenty of pure 
water — the purer the better. 

Thus much as to food, drink, and shelter. Another point of 
importance must not be omitted in his raising, that is, familiar- 
izing him with his master or with whomsoever has charge of 
him. He should be handled sufficiently and in such a way as 
thoroughly to overcome all shyness, and to lead him to feel that 
man is his friend. This confidence once established, his training 
—when the proper time comes for that — will be easily and suc- 
cessfully accomplished ; his subsequent relations with his masf <f 
will be always pleasant, and his value thereby much enhanced. 

And this, indeed, touches a fundamental principle in the car« 
of all dumb beasts. Lead them to recognize that man is their 
friend ; that they can depend on him to advance their comfortsj 
and to secure their welfare. 

XI. Mules. 

The breeding and rearing of mules, so common in many por- 
tions of the United States, requires more than a passing consider- 
ation. To obtain the best results in crossing with the ass demands 
as much intelligent care as in the case of the horse ; and the mule- 
breeder will find it much to his advantage thoroughly to inform 
himself as to how these results are to be obtained. 

Many mistaken impressions prevail as to the relative usefulness 
of the mule, as compared with the cost of breeding and main' 
tenance. 

It is thought by the inexperienced that he is almost equally 
adapted to every kind of draft work to which the horse may be 
put ; that his power as a pack-animal is much greater than that 
of the horse ; that his endurance is greater ; that he can subsist 
on less food ; and that he demands every way less care. All these 
things are set down to his advantage ; but in most instances the 
impressions are wholly erroneous. As a general thing, he is not 
well adapted to road or to city purposes at all. Especially are 
hard roads and pavements destructive to him if he is large of 
body and disproportionately small of leg. He is not so stout as 



—98 — 

a "horse of proportionate size ; he is utterly incapable of carrying 
80 great burdens as some have represented, even if loaded and 
attended by experienced packers, — particularly if the journey is 
to be continuous and the roads are at all heavy ; his powers of 
endurance are not greater than those of the hardier kind of 
horses; he will consume as much food as a horse of proportionate 
size, if required to do like work and to maintain a like condition; 
and as to care, he can do without it — so can a horse — but both 
fail thereby of that eminent thriftiness, sprightliness and longevity 
which is expected of animals to which it is extended. 

On the other hand, and to his discredit, it is commonly thought 
that he is naturally vicious, and wholly incapable of appreciating 
kindly treatment — that the only way to control him is by violence. 
Hence, those who handle him generally feel as though they are jus- 
tifiable in whipping, beating, kicking and whatsoever other cruelties 
they may choose to inflict. This is a grievous, foolish and wicked 
mistake. The mule has one means of defense, and his heels are 
dangerous to those who wantonly provoke or startle him and 
place themselves in his way. His long ears are sensitive, and by 
roughly handling them his combativeness is easily aroused, and 
distrust is awakened to that degree that renders him almost un- 
manageable. Yet, the mule may be so raised and trained as to 
make him gentle, obedient, even affectionate and ready to follow his 
master like a dog — so trusty that only the one always necessary pre- 
caution need be observed in dealing with him — to keep out of the 
way of his heels, which he throws out as instinctively when 
startled, irritated or approached by a stranger, as a cat thrusts 
out her claws. It has been remarked that ''when a mule gets 
perfectly gentle, he is unfit for service " and that, taken in con- 
nection with the prevailing method of training him, is doubtless 
true ; but there is a better way, and, if followed, it would result 
as we have stated above. 

Now, while the mule is not adapted to everything, and endowed 
with powers that are adequate to endure starvation and brutal 
treatment while in the performance of hard and faithful service, 
he is admirably calculated to meet many of the vnnts of individuals 
and corporations ; and his breeding, rearing and training are 



-99- 

matters for intelligent consideration. For supplying the army he 
cannot be replaced ; for towing canal boats he answers admirably; 
for hauling cars inside of coal mines, he is indispensable ; for the 
general knock-about work of a farm he is good in all temperate 
climates ; and in a cotton and sugar country, where it is warm 
and sandy, he is most especially valuable. Though he cannot 
endure everything and still meet every requirement of a heartless 
task-master, he is yet gifted with a hardihood that is admirable, 
and recuperative powers that are astonishing. Seemingly half 
dead, utterly broken down and worthless, he will, with a little 
rest and care, soon be again ready for service. 

In breeding for mules no less attention should be paid to the 
selection of suitable mares and a suitable jack than in the case 
of horses. It is folly to use old, worn-out, diseased, ill-formed, 
ill-conditioned mares, and yet hope to obtain a good foal. Asa 
general thing, a great, overgrown, long-legged mule is next to 
worthless. He is expensive to keep and unreliable as a worker — 
lacking wind, strength and nimbleness. The medium-sized, clean, 
compact mule is by all odds tlfe best, unless a team can be found 
to combine more than the ordinary height with round bodies, not 
disposed to fleshiness, and larger, stronger legs than usual, with 
feet above the common size — which is seldom the case. The 
Spanish or Mexican mule — the offspring of stout, close-built, 
active Mustang or Mexican mares is superior in endurance to 
any known in the United States. He requires less food, takes it 
quicker, and is always in better fix for travel. If it is more 
profitable to raise good animals than poor ones, (and no man of 
ordinary intelligence can doubt this proposition), select mares for 
mule bearing that are sound, compactly built, and yet without 
any contractedness of body — active, strong, every way serviceable. 
Then, the choice of a suitable jack is important — doubly so from 
the fact that the great majority of mares breed after the jack in 
the matter of legs and feet, and, if it is a good and powerful jack, 
the foal will generally bear his marks, which is a matter of some 
importance, since mules so marked are always regarded by ex- 
perienced stock men as being most hardy and valuable. The jack 
should be large — the larger the better, other things being equal, 



— lOO— 

since it is impossible to find one so much surpassing in size the 
mares we have described as to render him objectionable on account 
of disproportion, as may easily be the case with a horse. Most es- 
pecially must the breeder have an eye to his legs and feet ; for 
here, if at all, the mule is apt to be a failure — having a horse's 
body, ready to take on flesh beyond his requirements, mounted 
on legs that are too slight of bone and too small of muscle, with 
feet below the standard size for highest usefulness. 

As for the treatment of mares that are to be thus bred, no 
farther directions need be laid down, since it must be substantially 
the same as that prescribed for the breeding of horse foals. The 
like instructions relative to weaning, feeding and sheltering the 
colt must also be carried out ; and too much importance cannot 
be attached to beginning early the work of familiarizing him 
with man. He should be taught to regard his keepers without 
fear, to allow himself to be haltered, and readily to submit to 
submit to direction and guidance. If this is done, he will be 
easily trained, when the proper time shall have arrived ; and if 
properly handled and judiciously taught then, he will be no* only 
a useful, but a trusty and agreeable animal. 






I 



B 





fill 

m 



10* — 



lie Breaking and Taming of Wild and Vicious Horses. 




Nature of the Horse. 

The horse has no reasoning faculties beyond the limits of his ex- 
perience. Hence we can reason with him by acts alone. Literally, 
with the horse, acts speak louder than words; and hence the abso- 
lute importance of commencing every move with the horse right, 
for by our acts he learns. Secondly, early impressions are strong 
both in the human family and with the horse, and seldom, if ever, 
are entirely erased from memory's tablet. i 

Who is there in the human family that does not well remember 
the first impressions of his boyhood days; and as we journey on 
through life,' what a controlling influence they exert over us; just 
so with the horse. Hence the great importance of having his first 
impressions of man of such a nature as to convince him not only 
of man's superiority, but to satisfy him that man is his best friend. 
Obtain by a systematic course of handling, not only supreme 
power over him, but teach him also to repose trust and confidence 
in you and then never betray it. No animal has memory equal to 
that of the horse, and none will reciprocate a kindness or resent an 
injury sooner. I hold that man being on account of his intellectual 
resources superior to all other animals, is and has a right to be at 



— lOO- 
the head of all animal creation, for he can adopt means to overcom* 
the strength of the horse or even use it against himself. 

Always remember this : before any attempt is made to handle a 
horse, it is an imperative necessity that we must first consider hia 
disposition, nature and understanding. 




Names ana Situations of tne External Parts of a Morse, 



I. Muscles, 

s. Face. 

3. Forehead. 

Poll. 

Crest. 

Withers, 

Back. 

8. Loins. 

9. Hip. 

10. Croup. 

11. Dock. 

12. Quarters. 

13. Thigh. 

14. Hamstring, 



15. Hock. 

16. Cannon. 

17. Fetlock. 

18. Large Pastern. 

19. Small Pastern. 

20. Hoof. 

21. Sheath. 

22. Flank. 

23. Belly. 

24. Stifle. 

25. Coronet. 

26. Girth. 

27. Elbow. 
38, Arm. 



29. Heel. 
• 30. Small Pastern. 

31. Large Pastern. 

32. Fetlock. 

33. Cannon or Sliaskk, 

34. Knee. 

35. Forearm, 

36. Breast. 

37. Point. 

38. Shoulder. 

39. Windpipe, 

40. Gullet. 

41. Neck, 

42. Jowl. 



— 100- 




Intelligent Driving- Horses. 

Question. How would you tell the dispositions of different horses? 

Answer, Horses vary in dispcsibion the same as people. Soma 
have nervous, excitable dispositions, while others are treacheroua 
and sullen. If the horse has long ears, long hair on the inside, nar- 
row between the ears, narrow between the eyes, with a small, round 
eye, sunken in the back of the head, and a small, thick nostril, you 
have a horse of no intelligence and of a very sluggish disposition. 
If you have a horse with small ears, furry inside, broad between the 
ears, broad between the eyes, with a large, full, hazel eye, and a 
large, thin nostril, he is a quick, nervous, intelligent animal, ready 
to obey any command that you give him; but you must not whip or 
spur him. Now, if you ever find a horse that drops in on the top 
of his head and full between his eyes and a kind of a Roman neck oe 
him, and the face between the eyes dished out, these are generally 
horses that have some vicious or bad vice, and have a treacheroua 
and vicious disposition. 

Question. What colored horses are of the best disposition? 

•- 
Answer, Daring my professional career of over fifteen years, and 
Living handled in the neighborhood over 15.000 horses, 1 hav« 



found the easiest subjects were horses of the following colors : Black, 
dark bay, dark brown and chestnut. Horses of iron gray, light 
chestnut or sorrel and light bay generally are horses of a mean dis- 
position or a very stubborn will. 

Thoroughbred horses require more hard work and longer lessons 
to get them under perfect control than a cold-blooded horse, but 
when once thoroughly taught what you want him to do he will 
aever forget your teachings. 




Question. 
Ward. 



How do you handle a whip to make * colt come for- 



Answer. Take hold of his halter with one hand (left hand), take 
a bow whip in your right hand, let the cracker of the whip touch 
him on the tail, carrying the whip directly over his back, as seen in 
the above engraving; touch him lightly with the whip and saj 
•come here." 



— 108- 

Question. How would you break and train a colt, and at what 
age would you give the colt his first lesson ? 

Answer. The first lesson to give a colt should be to turn him 
into a box stall or enclosure of some kind about twenty feet square, 
taking in your right hand a whip and approaching the colt. If he 
runs away from you give him a crack of the whip around the hind 
limbs and follow this up until he will turn his head towards you, 




then throw the whip back under your left arm, holding out yoni 
right hand, using the words " come here." If, as you approach the 
colt, he turns to run away from you, give him the whip. When ha 
comes to you offer him an apple. In thirty or forty minutes' time 
you will teach him that it is wrong to turn his heels towards you ; but 
when he finds he is being rewarded he will soon learn that the right 
way is to keep his head to you. 

When working with a colt always have plenty of patience; go 
slow and easy, be gentle with him and learn him as you would a 
•hild his A, B, C's. 



-100 — 

Question. How do you handle a colt's feet and teach him to 
stand to be shod ? 

Ansiver. In handling a colt for the blacksmith shop, plaoe a 
suroingle around his body, then take a strap about ten inches long 
and strap his front foot up to the surcingle. How many times in 
picking up the foot you have seen a great many persons, especially a 
blacksmith, pound a colt's foot to make him take it up. Now, in- 
stead of doing that, place your left hand upon the horse's shoulder, 
with the right hand take hold of the horse's ankle. When you wish 
the foot to come up press against the horse's shoulder with your left 




hand, this throws him off his balance and you can very easily takd 
the foot from the ground. As your strength is nothing compared 
with the horse's strength you must use such means as to overpower 
him and to place him in the position where he cannot get away from 
you in order for you to meet with success. Now, after you have 
•trapped his front foot up to the surcingle, you thun compel t&o 



colt to make four or five steps on three legs. If he is inclined ts 
be Trild he -will rear, pitch and plunge in the air, but it is impossi- 
ble for him to get his foot away; but as soon as he finds out that he 
is fast he will give up; you can unbuckle the strap and loosen hif 
foot and you then have his limb under perfect control. Now this is 
only one front limb; the other must be handled the same way. 




Question. How would you break a colt to ride? 

Answer. First put on a riding bridle and an ordinary surcingta. 
Let one man stand on the off side of the colt with his right hand 
on the bridle bit, and another man stand on the nigh side of the colt 
with his left hand holding the bridle bit. Then take a boy and let 
him mount the colt. The moment he is on the colt's back, the man 
on the off side, with his left hand, takes hold of the boy's leg, and the 
man on the nigh side also takes hold of the boy's leg with his right 
hand. Now, if the colt should plunge, there are two of you to bold 
Kim, and at the §ame time you are holding on to the boy, and it is im- 



possible for the colt to throw him off. Lead him around for ten o* 
fifteen minutes in this way. Then you can let go of the boy's legs, 
and one man can lead the colt Be very careful to caution the rider 
not to touch his heels to the colt's side. Lead him around, say for 
ten or twenty minutes. Let the driver dismount and mount him 
•gain. Then put the colt away. In two or three hours bring him 
out again and get on him. If he should make any attempt to 
throw the rider the second time, let him take the left-hand line in 
four inches shorter than the other. That pulls the colt's head 
around to his side and sets him on a whirl. After he has whirled 
around six or eight times he becomes a little dizzy. You can then 
straighten up on the lines and say, "Get up," and he will move off 
nicely. Work as easy with him as you possibly can. I would advise 
that all colts, before being rode, should be thrown. Then you will 
have no difficulty whatever. 



Handling and Driving a. Colt. 

Teach him not to be afraid of all kinds of objects. In the hand- 
ling of a colt for driving purposes, first take an ordinary open bridle 
and straight bar bit and a surcingle, or a pad of harness, and run 
the lines through the thill straps of the harness ; then step back 
behind the colt and take hold of the lines and commence to teach him 
to turn right and left by the bit. Never teach him more than one 
thing at a time. After you get him so he will turn quickly to the 
right and left by line, you then can teach him the woid "whoa." 
Then after this has been accomplished teach him to back. Then, 
before ever putting a colt before a wagon, be sure you have him 
thoroughly bitted and have taught him all of the above commands. 
Now, before hitching the colt, you want to make him familiar with 
everything that will be liable to frighten him on the start, such as 
umbrellas, tin pans, paper, fire-crackers, buffalo robes, blankets, top 
carriages, and in fact every object that frightens many of our horsei 
and makes them run away. In order to control the colt, teach him 
that these objects are harmless, m the following manner: 

Buckle an ordinary name s.rap around each front limb below the 
fetlock joint; then take a rope twenty feet long, tie one end of thu 



— 112- 

rope into the ring of the nigh front limb ; then place the rope over 
the ring in the surcingle underneath the horse's body ; now through 
a ring on the off front limb, back through the ring in the surcingle; 
this gives you a double lever purchase on the front limbs ; now step 
back behind the colt, take the lines in the right hand and the rope 
in the left hand, give the colt the command to move forward ; when 
You wish him to stop use the word " whoa'^and pull the rope at tut 




Vbowloff the Working of Gleason's Doable Safety Hope. 



■ame time, which will bring the colt to his knees. Now, after yon 
have practiced with the working of this rope, you then have a boy 
take an umbrella and come up in front of him over his head, rattle 
tin pans, sleigh bells, buffalo robes, and, in fact, introduce him to 
everything that is liable to frighten him. If he makes any attempt 
to get away bring him to his knees and hold him there, and teach 
him that he is not going to be hurt. These lessons must not be 
over one hour, giving two of them per day, and in five days your oolt iB 
ready to drive. 



-118 — 

All colts should be broke thoroughly to harness when one year ot 
age, but never put to hard work until they are five years of age. 
When breaking use as light a vehicle as possible. Always educate 
your colt to drive single first, and any one can drive him double. 

Too much importance cannot be attached to the manner of edu- 
er ting a horse's heels, as it is in that point his greatest means of de- 
fence and resistance lies, and most men make the mistake of break- 
ing one end of the horse, while they allow his hind parts to go 
uneducated. The instructions I am about to give will, if properl/ 
followed, insure success. 




To Educate a Colt not to be Afraid of Ilia Heel*. 



While you have the colt down, as illustrated in the above cut> 
make him thoroughly acquainted with bells, drums, tin pans and 
cracking of the whip, being careful all the while not to inflict pain. 
Roll an empty barrel over him, all the time creating as much noise 
m possible; you will find he will soon give up to it, lying perfeotly 



still like a philosopher until the confusion is stopped and yon com- 
mand him to get up. When he gets up caress him by patting him 
on the neck, giving him an apple, &c. Now, give the colt this 
same lesson every day for three or four days and you will soon see the 
practical utility of this teaching when you come to drive him, as 
you will have a young horse A hat will not be afraid of bands of mu- 
sic or any sudden noises which he may come in contact with, and 
he will always remember the lesson. 

The above instruction is equally applicable to a kicking horse, but 
in his education he will require more lessons before the habit will ba 
entirely removed. Still, kindness and a little patience will soon ac- 
complish all you desire. 

Men in general exercise too little patience in the training of their 
colts, and they frequently expect to accomplish more in a short 
■pace of time than can possibly be performed. Yet the time really 
Tequired, when measured b^ days, is so short as to be really surpris. 
ing. Let us suppose thet in training a colt one were to spend two 
hours a day for ten days, which is the longest time that could possi- 
bly be needed. Compute the time at ten hours to a day, and the 
whole amounts to but two days, at the end o* which he would have 
a well educated animal. I doubt if a farmer or horse raiser could 
employ his time more profitably in any other way than in thor- 
oughly educating his colts, as he thus enhances their value, for 
there is no sensible man who would not give fifty dollars more for a 
properly educated animal than for one improperly trained. 

Question How would you hitch a oolt by the halter the first 
time? 

Answer. Take a rope twenty feet long, making a slip-knot in one 
end, passing it around the body in front of the colt's hind legs, with 
the knot directly under the horse's belly, bringing the other end be- 
tween his front legs, then up through the halter; then hitch him 
to the manger or post, throwing the halter strap over his back so as 
to be out of the way. B sure and have a halter with a strong head 
stall. Then step in front of him and show him a parasol, beat a 
faum, doing anything and everything you can to frighten him, be- 



tog careful not to inflict pain, and repeat thifc le&ion to him ererj 
day for two or three days, and you will have him thoroughly broke* 
Use the same treatment for a halter pmller. 




Question. Can you give me any rule to buy a family horse by P 

Answer. Your horse should stand sixteen hands high, the eari 
very small, pointed and furry inside, ver, wide between the ear3 ; » 
large bright hazel eye standing out prominently ; the nostrils must 
be large and thin ; neck long and well cut up under the jaw ; heavy 
muscle on top. The withers must always be higher than the hips ; 
back broad and long hips, and closo ,'ointed. 

For durability always buy a close-jointed horse, and one with fine, 
short hair. The finer the hair the longer-lived the horse. For a 
good road horse, he should measure exactly as much from between 
his ears and his withers as from withers to the coupling of the hip; 
that is, the withers should be exactly midway between his ears *u4 



-Wie- 
the coupling of the hip. From the point of the withers to th« 
shoulder should be just as long as from the coupling of the hip to 
the point of hip by tail. The horse should measure from the point 




of his withers to the bottom of his front foot fifty-seven inches, and 
from the point of the shoulder to the point of the hip ; length of 
horse, sixty-two inches. Parties buying by thi3 rule will find it in- 
variable. 

The Way to Shoe a Vicious Horse. 

. Take a strap and buckle around the hind foot below the fetlock 
joint, and take a rope ten feet long and place it through the ring 
upon this strap; take a wooden pin four inches long and an inch in 
diameter, lay directly across the hair of the horse's tail — doubling 
the hair over the pin makes a loop — then tie a slip-knot in one end 
of the rope and pass it over the end of the tail and the pin; now 
reach down and take hold of the rope, stepping directly behind the 
colt, and say to him "take up your foot, sir," and pull the rope at 

ithe same time. After picking up his foot four or five times, by the 



-117- 




Handling a Colt's Hind Feet. 



use of thia rope, you can handle his hind feet with ease to be shod 
Handle the other foot by the same process. 




•lesson'* Head Strap to be Used wblle Shoeing Vicious Horses. 



- 113- 

When y©u hay© a horse that will not stand to be shod in a black- 
smith shop, take a strap about four feet long, make a ring in one end 
of it, put the strap in his mouth, having th* ring at the top oi hit 
head. Pass the other end of the strap through the ring and draw 
down tight and tie. Then use in combination my method of hand- 
ling a horse's foot Rope, wooden pin and strap as seen in engrav- 
ing elsewhere in this book. By this means you have complete con- 
trol of your horse. Always be gentle with your horse, but be firm 
and teach him that you must bay© your way. 




Perfect Heads of Draft Horses, Kind and Good Workers. 



Question. How do you work your bit, and is it patented ? 

Answer. My bit is a straight bar bit with check pieces, with sloti 
in lower ring and a small ring for curb strap. When the bit is buck- 
led to the bridle the cheek piece of the bit buckles into the big 
rings right in front of curb strap rings. For driving an ordinary 
horse the reins are buckled into the big rings. If you have a horse 
that is liable to run away, kick, shy or is hard to control, buckle the 
Uneg from the big ring and buckle them down in the slot of the 



-UP- 



cheek piece. This gives you 500 pounds pressure, and any lady can 
drive the worst puller that you ever saw. The curb strap must be 
buckled at all times back of the jaw. Just have it fit snugly. 

The philosophy of this bit, being perfectly square, is that the 
moment you pull on the reins the bit turns in the horse's mouth and 
throws his jaws open ; the curb strap doing its work throws the bit 
directly back from the jaw. 




ft*. 3 




PR0F.0.R.GUA50NS 

NEW BRIOIE. Bl 

PATENTED 

feb. 21 si teas 

«9 J7d,505 
SEI Fill DIRECTIONS, 
TO USE IT.LTJOfRTHIS 
ENGRAVING. 



FiC 4% 




INVENTOR 

I have studied over three years to invent a bit that would do its 
work and do away with all those cruel four-ring biis, chain bits, and 
*n fact all severe bits. This one I am using at the present time at 
all my exhibitions with grand success, and can recommeud it as th* 
best driving bit 1 ever used. 



— 120 — 

I had the bit patented, number of patent, 378,305, on the 21st day 
©f February, 1888. I have other patents still pending. I caution all 
parties not to manufacture or offer for sale these bits unless so author- 
ized by me. 

The Working of my New Bit. 

A represents the mouth-piece or bit proper, which is made in cross 
sections, with its edges cut off or dulled to prevent injury to the 
horse's mouth, To each end of the mouth-piece or bit proper and 
attached to the rings B in the usual manner. The rings B, prefer- 
ably made of steel and cast in one piece, are each formed with the 
downwardly projecting arm B, having a slot B 2, for attaching the 
reins, and with the upwardly projecting loop or eye B 3 for receiving 
a curb strap when desired. For ordinary use the headstall C, and 
reins D, will both be secured to the rings B, as shown in figure 3; 
but when the bit is to be used upon vicious and unruly horses, the 
reins D are secured to the arms B, and the curb strap E, which 
passes under the jaw of the horse, is secured to the loops t eyes B 3, 
as shown in figure 4. When thus arranged, by pulling or; the reins, 
the leverage being increased, the mouth-piece or it proper will be 
turned, and owing to its being square it will be impossibl -a for the 
horse to take the bit in his teeth and hold on to it. Instead of form- 
ing the arms B of the rings with slots, rings may be secuv ed to the 
•nds thereof as in the ordinary manner. 

Question. "What do you think of the check reins ? Should they 
be used on a horse ? 

Answer. I think the check reins, as used by many of our horse 
owners, are a cruelty to animals. I will give you my idea of the 
check rein and as I think it should be used. In the first place, if 
your horse is born into this world with style he will always have it. 
If he is born into the world without style, you cannot produce style 
where nature designed for it not to go by the use of straps or ropes, 
unless you are torturing the poor dumb brute. 

I approve of the side check rein used only to prevent „he horse 
from putting his head to the ground when you stop you: team. I 



-12! — 

tondemn the use of all overdraw check reins, also check hits of every 
description. A great many believe that by using an overdraw check 
rein and elevating their ho-ses' heads in the air that they drive i 
and that they are guarding against the horse from running away. 
This is wrong. No hoise, in my estimation, looks handsomer, freer 
And easier than those that are driven with open bridles and no check 
tein, I would here suggest that every team horse to-day used or heary 




draft horse, or hack horses, and all animals used by transportation 
companies, should be worked with open bridles, doing away with tha 
blinders and the check rein. Give the work horse and the driving 
horse the free use of his head, the same that you wiah yourself, not 
only will they drive better, but last longer, and keep on five per cent 
less food. 

A law should he passed prohibiting the use of all overdraw oh&cfc 
reins, && it packed directly over the brain of the horse. 



— 1G2- 




The Horse with Over-check. 



In this illustration we see the law of curved line violated. Not 
only is the strap running over the head made unduly conspicious, 
but a straight line running thus over an arching neck is as much out 
of place as a straight pole would be by the side of a bed of roses. 

Again, this straight strap is not only a disfigurement of itself, but 
it is still further injurious to fine appearance, in consequence of tak- 
ing the curve from the horse's neck and converting it into a straight 
line, besides wearing off and breaking to pieces the mane, which in 
many horses is a leading feature of beauty. 

It will also be seen that the grandeur of the horse's bearing and 
noble pose of head are all destroyed by this peculiar method of 
checking which turns the eyes upward and nose outward, and makes 
the neck appear considerably smaller than it really is. 

It is impossible to resort to a device that will more effectually 
destroy the handsome appearance of fine horse3 than does this foolish 
appliance for raising the horse's head by means of the overcheck. 
There is no beautiful object in nature but would have its beauty 
marred by a line that would hold it thus in constrained position. 



— if» — 




Horse In Natural Beauty "Without Check. rein. 



As will be seen in the above, the horse, which is one of the most 
beautiful animals in existence, is largely so, because of its fine pro- 
portions and graceful curving outline. 

In all her objects of beauty nature furnishes the curve. She 
never allows a straight line. We see this in the outer form of bird, 
leaf, blossom, tree, forest, mountain and planet. This is strikingly 
shown in the human countenance, which, when wasted by disease, 
loses its beauty through becoming thin, angular and full of straight 
lines. With returning health, the face becomes more full and more 
curved, and more color comes into its lines and beauty is restored. 

Horsemen, in the dressing of the horse, should understand this 
law, as a well-cared for, well-groomed horse, cannot be improved in 
appearance by harness. There should be just as little of it used as 
possible, and every strap should be made as small as safety would 
allow. In short, the harness should be such as will allow the perfect 
outline of the animal, in all its parts, to stand freely forth* 



— 134 




Cruelly Tortured by High-cbnckiug;. 



To fully realize the barbarities practiced upon some of our best 
horses, watch that beautiful team which stands at the church door, 
or in front of some store, while the occupants of the carriage are en- 
gaged elsewhere. 

Possibly the heads of the horses are held in torturing positions by 
the side check, which oftentimes holds them too cruelly high, but 
quite likely it is the over check. See the vigorous pawing of the 
earth, the champing of the bit, the throwing of the head, the restlesa 
turning of the neck to one side in order to loosen the check, lower 
the head and get rest. 

See the ignorant driver perched on the seat, all oblivious to the 
restlessness and frantic efforts of the horses to free themselves from 
their terrible pain. He supposes spectators will tlink that, with all 
their restlessness and foaming at the mouth, his horses have high 
mettle. 



-125- 




^ <*&> 



My idea as to how horses should be checked, road horses and 
others, I positively condemn the overdraw check, it certainly is, 
and there is no gainsaying it, cruelty to animals to use it. The only 
utility I can perceive there is in the check at all is to keep a horse 
from putting his nose to the ground when he stops, and when a 
check is used, place the loops high up on the cheek pieces to the 
head stall, as the horse can in such cases have the free use of his 
head, and can handle himself with ease and grace. For speeding 
horses it might become necessary to use the overdraw in some cases, 
but it must be understood that I hold firm to my idea as to the 
practicality of its general usefulness. 



Question. What do you think of breeding draft horses, and the 
care and early training of the colt ? 

Answer. It has been the stupendous error of the average farmer 
to consider that any mare will do to raise a colt from. Thousands 
of worthless horses bear witness to the absurdity of this. The mare 
should be, as nearly as we can have her, what we hope the colt to be. 
Above all, she must be sound in feet, bone and wind. She should 



— 138- 

be rftcgy to have room for the growth of the foetus, and wide in the 
hips to allow of easy parturition. The stallion should be rather 
more compactly built than the mare. "A short back and a long 
belly," is an old and correct rale for a serviceable horse. It means 
good shoulders, good withers, good back and loin, and powerful 
quarters. The breeder may be assisted by giving some attention to 
the rule, which has many exceptions, that the male parent gives the 
external, and the female the internal structure ; that the sire gives the 
locomotion; and the dam the vital organs, that is, the constitution. 
The mule and the hinny are striking illustrations of this rule. 

I am decidedly in favor of autumn foals. The press of spring 
work upon the farm demands more service from the foal-bearing 
mare than she should be required to perform. The flies of summer 
annoy and often nearly devour the youngster. Both dam and colt 
often suffer from insufficient food in short pastures of a drought, and 
at length the colt is weaned when the frost-bitten grass has lost its 
nutriment, and the increasing cold demands abundant food. The 
first winter is a trying time with colts, and many never recover from 
the injury they then receive from insufficient or improper food. 
With warm stables and comfortable sheds, the autumn colt can suck 
the well-fed mare in the winter, and be weaned upon fresh grass in 
the spring, and never know a check in his growth. He is old and 
strong enough to withstand the attacks of flies in the summer, 
and to endure without injury the colds of his second winter. He 
should receive regular rations of oats and wheat bran as soon as 
he has learned to eat along with the mare when she is taking her 
feed. These can best be given him at a little distance from the mare, 
she being secured in her place by a halter. For the first year he 
should receive liberal allowance of these foods twice a day, with such 
mixed hay and pasturage as he can take beside. These with linseed 
meal must be the main reliance for making him all we hope him to 
be. They are rich in the elements which make growth, and without 
these no perfect animal can be reared. Corn should never be given 
except in limited quantity in winter when warmth from carbo- 
hydrates is needed. Where corn must be fed, it should always be 
ground and mixed with finely cut clover hay, slightly moistened. 
The clover supplies the nitrogenous food in which the corn is so 
deficient, and also gives the necessary bulk of proper digestion in 



— 127 — 

the stomach. It should always be remembered that the horse ha§ 
but one stomach, and that is small. While on the one hand this 
cannot contain enough of coarse innutritious food, like straw or poor 
hay, to meet the demands of subsistence aud growth, yet on the 
other the food must be bulky enough to admit of the speedy aud 
thorough action of the gastric juice, so that the nutritive portions 
may be quickly dissolved and the refuse discharged. Where corn 
meal is fed alone it goes into the stomach in the plastic condition of 
dough, is there rolled about by the muscular action, is as imper- 
vious to the digesting juices as a ball of India rubber, and produces 
fever and frequently serious colic. Where corn is largely fed, its 
heati g effects upon the blood are readily shown in unsoundness at 
the extremities. The oat is a wholesome food when fed alone, be- 
cause nearly one-third of its bulk is husk, which makes the mass in 
the stomach porous like a sponge. I desire to repeat that mixed 
ha^ , with a good proportion of clover, oats, wheat, bran and linseed 
me~l, all containing albuminoids which furnish the materials for 
gro" th, must be relied upon to develop a draft horse to his true 
proportions. He mutt never know a hungry day, and he must never 
spend an hour shivering on the north side of barn, waiting for 
his food. While, on the one hand, a stable may be too warm, on the 
other, every storm in winter is too cold for a steady and vigorous 
growth. An exposure to cold that produces an active circulation 
on the surface, and gives to boys and girls bright, rosy cheeks, con- 
duces to health ; but every exposure that chills the blood draws upon 
the vital forces and saps the foundations of the constitution. It 
costs more, and costs double the time, to regain a pound of lost 
weight than it does to add five pounds in a continuous growth. 

1 am strongly in favor of grooming colts in winter, not with the 
expenditure of labor necessary in using the currycomb and brush, 
but by a hasty rubbing with a stiff stable broom. It accomplishes 
two important results — the stimulation of a healthful action of the 
skin and the acquaintance of the colt with handling and with the 
contact with substances that otherwise would occasion alarm. This 
must be commenced with great gentleness. At no time in his 
growth should a colt ever be frightened. Unnecessary fright ruins 
multitudes of horses. My own colts, some of which are highly 
brod, purposely for saddle horses, and are of nervous temperaments, 



128 — 

are daily treated to the stable-broom grooming, to their evident ben«* 
fit. Now almost anything can be thrown against them, or about 
their legs, without occasioning alarm. 

At all ages colts should have abundant exercise. The pasture in 
enmmer, and well enclosed ; well shedded paddocks in winter fur- 
nish the best opportunities for this. They should be frequently 
handled from the beginning by cool and judicious hands, ever 
remembering that, like ourselves, they can learn but one letter of 
their alphabet and one step in their knowledge at a time. Every 
colt, whatever his class, should be broken to the saddle, because at 
some time in after life he must be ridden, and because in no other 
way can he obtain such acquaintance with his master's will. The 
colt reared for draft purposes can have the walking gait developed 
when under the saddle more readLy than in any other way. This 
should afterward be continued by service beside a fast walking horse. 

In conclusion, I will only add that the expense of breaking a draft 
horse is less, by many times, than any other. He sooner pays for his 
keep by service upon the farm than does any other. When old 
enough for the market, he finds a readier sale than doea any other, 
and a given number of them, from ten to one hundred, taken to- 
gether, will sell for more money than will any equal number of any 
other class of horses whatsoever. To-day the West has almost a 
monopoly in our country in rearing these profitable animals. The 
agricultural papers are filled with advertisements of stud establish- 
ments, their State and county fairs find their greatest attractions in 
their exhibition, and their farmers are rapidly learning the advan- 
tage of rearing them. We can surpass them if we will, for our 
situation and conditions are better than theirs. Our farmers will do 
well to give early and earnest attention to this important subject. 

The Stable. 

This is a very important part of the subject, and one which is too 
often neglected by people who own horses and who leave their gen- 
eral management to stable keepers or grooms often grossly neglectful 
or ignorant. Many horses die yearly from the neglecuof their owners 
to enforce the ordinary laws of health in the stable. A site should 
be chosen, nearly or quite as well situated as that for the dwelling 



— lay - 

and the gtable may be, if possible, separate and distinct from til 
barn with advantage. Hide it if you like behind trees, bnt do not 
cut off the 

Circulation of Air. 

A supply of pure air is as necessary to the life and health of a 
horse as of man. In many stables air is carelessly adn : tted, and 
blows either on the head of the horse or in such a way that cold and 
cough is the inevitable result. The practice of feeding hay through 
a hole above the head of the horse invites fatal results in the way of 
cold, not to mention the possibility of hayseed falling into the eyea 
of the horse when it is looking np for its food. An pposite error, 
however, is to exclude every possible breach of air and have the 
atmosphere of the stable hot and unwholesome. The effect of several 
horses being shut up in one stable is to render the air , r. pleasantly 
warm and foul. A person coming from the open air cam ot breathe 
in it many minutes without perspiring. In this temperature the 
horse stands, hour by hour, often with a covering on. This is sud- 
denly stripped off, and it is led into the open air, the temper? ture of 
which is many degrees below that of the stable. It is true that while 
it is exercising it has no need of protection, but, unfortunately, it too 
often has to stand awaiting its master's conveni nee, and this, per- 
haps, after a brisk trot which has opened every pore, and its suscep- 
tibility to cold has been excited to the utmost extent. In ventilating 
stables it should never be forgotten that the health of a horse de- 
pends on an abundant supply of fresh, dry air, introduced in such a 
manner as to prevent a possible chance of a draught on any of its in- 
mates. Many old stables may be greatly benefited by the introduc- 
tion of a window or windows, which will require but little expenditure, 
and save many a dollar's worth of horseflesh. 

Hay Tea. 

This is also refreshing for a tired horse. Fill a pail with the best 
of clean, bright hay, and pour in as much boiling water as the pail 
will hold. Keep it covered and hot fifteen minutes, turn off the 
water into another pail and add a little cold water, enough to make 
a gallon and a-half or so, and when cold feed it to the horse. 



— ISO — 

Question. What do you think of haying light in the horse's stall f 

Answer* Many horses are compelled to stand in the stall where 
<here is a window three or four feet above their heads. This I don't 
approve of, as the horse will naturally strain to look out of the 
window, and the light coming so high above his head many timea 
hurts the eye-sight of the horse. I would advise all to have the 
windows put at one side of the stall, or I would rather they 
should be directly behind the horse. Always have your stall 
and stable well ventilated, and have it aired out thoroughly every, 
morning for at least two hours. 

Question. What is the best bedding to be used for bedding horses ? 

Answer. I approve of straw, using about on an average of four 
pounds per day. The first bedding will require ten pounds. Over 
two thirds of this can be saved every morning and placed in the sun 
where it can dry, ready for the bedding at night. Great economy 
can be practiced in bedding horses. I don't approve of sawdust or 
shavings, as it causes many diseases in the horse's feet, such as 
thrush and other like diseases. I would rather, if you cannot get 
straw for your horse, to stand in the summer time on tan bark. 
And let me say here, that, if you have a horse that has contracted 
feet, sore-footed, or that his tendons are diseased, place him in a big 
box-stall bedded with nothing but tan bark, and you will see an im- 
provement in a very few days. 

Question. What do you think of horses having proper exercise? 

Answer. There are more horses to-day that die from the want of 
not having proper exercise than by any other cause. There are 
hundreds and thousands of horses that are owned by wealthy people, 
and not having the proper work for their animals they are compelled 
to stand in the stable from one week to another, being fed very high, 
and the result is that the horse becomes stiff, lazy, and of a sluggish 
disposition. A horse, in order to be in health, should have not less 
than five miles of exercise every day. It matters not whether this is 
given in the carriage or under the saddle. It is better for our horse 
to be worn out than it is to rust out. Many times colic and different 



— 131 — 

diseases originate from the horse being over-fed and not having the 
proper exercise. Such diseases as staggers, fits and dummies, all 
come from over-feeding. 

I could go into quite a lengthy argument on the above question, 
but it is unnecessary ; I only give you this good advice. If you can- 
not drive your horse and give him the proper exercise, let gome 
of your neighbors do it 

Question. What do you think of bran mashes ? 

Answer. Horses should have a bran mash twice a week. In the 
spring of the year horses should have a few potatoes, carrots or roota 
of any kind, as it is now known sufficiently that both contribute to 
the strength and endurance of the sound horse, and to the rapid 
recovery of a sick one. A bushel of carrots and potatoes should be 
fed the horse twice a week during the spring months. 

Question. How would you clean a gray horse ? 

Answer. Take castile soap and add charcoal, and wash him 
thoroughly ; this will leave your horse's hair perfectly white, the 
charcoal being a great cleansing article. Always use the two 
together. 

Question. Will you give me a few general ideas on feeding ? 

Answer. I will commence by giving you my idea of how horses 
should be fed and cared for through the day. I will lay these rules 
down for general driving and draft horses. In the morning, the first 
thing, give your horse about two quarts of water ; following this 
give him some grain ; following this give him some hay, a very little, 
not over one-half a pailful. After the horse has eaten his grain and 
hay, bring him out of his stall, give him a sharp, quick grooming, 
and then give him as much water as ha wants. He is now ready for 
work. If you are driving the horse upon the road, it is the habit of 
a great many horsemen to continually keep watering their horses on 
a very warm day; this I do not approve of, unless you have a pail 
with you ; then at about 9 or 10 o'clock in the forenoon give your 
horse one-half a pailful of water. At noon, just before vou give 



— 132 — 

him his dinner let him have about a third of a pailful, then feed 
your grain ; give no hay. Just before you harness him far his after- 
noon's work, let him have what water he may want. In the after- 
noon's work follow the same rule as for the forenoon as for water. 
When you have finished the day's work, and are putting your horse 
up for the night, see first that the stall is well bedded ; place the 
horse in his stall, give him his grain, then take him out and give 
him what water he may need. When he is drinking the water have 
the hay for the night placed in the stall— a good quantity. Your 
horse is then cared for and will rest during the night. 

Under no circumstances feed hay first or with the grain. Always 
give your horse his hay after he has eaten up' his grain. If you will 
follow the above rule you never will have a horse sick with colic. 

Now, as to feeding ; I am a great believer in good oats, and then 
they should be all sifted, every particle of dust and dirt taken from 
them, giving the horse nothing but the clean oats. All hay, when 
pitched down from the mow or taken from the bale, should be shook 
with the fork and every particle of dust and chaff shaken from it. 
In this way your horse gets clean and wholesome food, and then he 
is not pulling his hay out, or he is not wasting his oats, but he is at 
all times ready to eat his meals as they are placed before him in an 
eatable form. There is a great deal of grain wasted by the careless- 
ness of man. 

A book could be written on the manner of feeding, but I don't 
think it is necessary for me to speak on this subject, only of the 
general principles, and leave the rest to you and your good judgment. 

I might add that I do not recommend the feeding of corn unless 
ground together with oats in equal proportion. There are many 
dummies and horses with staggers, and horses that die with colic in 
*>ur Western States caused entirely by the great amount of corn that 
is fed to them. Many old horses cannot masticate this corn, and 
the result is that it is not digested. So give your horse good pure 
oats, and good bright hay, and pure water. I would recommend the 
use of soft water from brooks and mill streams. When this cannot 
be had, and you have to draw the water from a well, let it stand in a 
trough or tub one hour before letting your horse drink. Many say 
that muddy water or any kind of water from a muddy pool is good, 
but don't ask your horse to drink what you would not drink yourself 



— 133- 




etiowiir: 



Horse KatluK from a High Rack or Manger, an Unnatural 
Position. 



Question. What do you think of horses eating from high mangers ? 

Answer. It is the practice of almost every horse owner to compel 
fiis horse to eat from high racks or mangers. This is something that 
I do not approve of, as it is unnatural for a horse to reach up after 
his food. In the first place, all the chaff, hayseed, dirt, etc., are 
liable to get into his eyes and ears, and many times when horses are 
fed their grain they eat it so fast that they do not masticate it prop- 
erly, and the result is that their digestive organs have to perform 
what their teeth ought to do. 

Take and turn your horse out into a field, or say on the side of a 
hill, and you will never see him feeding up the hill ; he will always 
feed sideways of the hill or down the hill. I claim that many horses 
are made sprung knee, stiff necked, many times come out of thu stable 
acting as though they were foundered, caused from the continual 
itrain of standing and reaching up for feed, which its positively uu« 



— 134 — 

natural for all dumb animals. Think of yourself getting your breaV 
fast reaching three feet above your head for every mouthful that yoq 
get It would be more pleasant and you would relish your meal more 
by having the food placed one or two feet below your mouth. I ap- 
prove of having all horses fed in the following manner : Take your 
mangers and racks entirely out of the stall ; feed the hay from the 
door evea with your horse's feet. In giving grain have a box made 




fi@7«e Eating bis Food from the Cls-onnd. as Nature tntemtied. 
Prejrev Way to Food tbe Horse, 



Ttse eo3> 



movable, and place the grain in this box, and let the horse eat that 
from even with his feet. He eats his grain slow, masticating it prop- 
erly, and the result is that while you have had to give your horse 
twelve quarts of grain in feeding from a high manger, nine quarts 
fed from even with his feet will keep him in bettt>r condition than 
the twelve quarts fed from the manger; and I think that you will 
soon find out that my idea will save ten per cent, of food in one year. 



~1»6 — 



SLEfcSOtfS. fUll OUTf IT 




This Enarr»\lng shown a Full Outfit, us used by 

O. B~ Gleasou la Handling all Hornet 

•f Vicious Habits. 



How to Make My Surcingle. 

In order to make my surcingle, have a piece of leather eight feet 

long, four inches wide, with rings upon it six inches apart, having it 

so that when it is buckled on the horse that two rings will be directly 
10 



-136- 

under his body with one ring on each side of him and three rings 
on the top of the surcingle; one of these surcingles will be very use- 
ful and should hang in every stable. 

To Educate Horses Not to be Afraid of Objects when 

Driving. 

It is impossible to overestimate the value of the subjoined instruc- 
tions respecting nervous and shying horses, therefore on this topic I 
wish to be particularly clear and explicit. Let the reader understand 
that horses take fright at objects because they fancy that those 
objects will harm them, and if you can by any means appeal to the 
horse's brain, and satisfy hyn that he is not going to be hurt, you 
have accomplished your object. And in order to do so you must 
have control of your horse. I do not mean by this that you are to 
adopt the too frequent course pursued by many, viz: subduing with 
the whip, or other harsh means, which will, almost without an ex- 
ception, increase the fear instead of removing the habit. Again, 
when a horse shies, the driver commences to jerk on the reins nearest 
to the object, and at once applies the whip, fully determined to 
master his horse. Both man and horse get excited, and the horse 
comes off victorious, because he cannot control him by the means 
used, and the result is that the next time the animal is frightened it 
bears a two-fold character — the fear of the object and the fear of the 
whip punishment. \^ 

It is generally a crude habit of many persons when driving a 
horse past an object of which he is afraid to begin with "whoa, boy I 
whoa, boy! whoa, boy!" and when the horse has passed the object, 
to take the whip and lash him with it, and say "I will learn you to 
shy," &c. Now when this treatment is pursued, I claim the horse 
believes that the object that he was afraid of inflicted the pain, and 
consequently he is made worse instead of better. Now my theory is 
to use the whip gently when approaching the object, and compel him 
to walk right up to it, and let him smell of it, stopping him, show- 
ing him that it will not hurt him. 

Only use the whip when you give the word of command, speaking 
with force and distinction, as I believe nine-tenths of our runaways 



— 187 — 

are due more to the one driving him, than to the horae him&ilfc 
The horse is a cunning animal and sizes up his driver with the ra- 
pidity of thought, and when he is fully aware that his driver is afraid 
of him, he takes advantage of it and runs away. If my instruc- 
tions are fully carried out by my readers, as to the thorough way aa 
herein laid down, I am positively certain there will be no runaways. 

Question. How would you throw a horse down and hold him 
after throwing? 

Answer, Put on your horse a good strong halter ; take a strap with 
A ring in it and buckle around your horse's off front limb, below the 




First Position Taken in Throwing » Morse. 



fetlock joint; take a rope eight feet long and tie into this strap; 
place a surcingle around the horse's body; take your position on 
the nigh side of the horse, bring the rope over the horse's back from 



Hie off side, taking hold of the rope with your rigut hand, pull fcii 
foot to his body; take a firm hold of this, holding the foot in thii 
position ; then take hold of the horse's halter with your left hand, 
pull his head to you and press against his body with your elbow, 
using the words " lie down." The majority of horses you can throw 
in a minute, while others may fight you for three or four minutes, 
but you will soon master them and they will have to come down* 




Second Position in Throwing a Horse. 



As soon as the animal has been thrown, take the rope that is under- 
neath him, bring it under the surcingle and place it through the 
ring of the halter, back under the surcingle again, and here you 
have the rope to bring his head to his shoulder; make him put his 
head down to the ground, and then if you want to rattle pans or 
shake buffalo robes around him, and he makes any attempt to get up, 
pull his head up immediately, which will prevent him from doing 
to; than take a whip and crack it around him; give him to thor= 



— 139 — 

©ughly understand that you are his master. I am a great believer \n 
throwing horses, and would recommend that every horse should be 
thr^^L for this reason, that it takes the conceit out of them, and 
gives them to understand that man has more power than they have. 
If used by men of good judgment and patience, all young horses can 
U thoroughly brought under control by this manner of handling. 




-i^-» 



Third Position in Throwing a Horse. 



Place a surcingle around the horse's body, buckle hame strap 
•round off fetlock joint, take rope eight feet long, tie one end in 
•trap on off foot, pass the rope over horse's back "rom the off side. 
Stand on near side of horse, grasp rope with Tight hand and pull 
foot to the body. With the left hand take hold of the halter and 
pull his head to you, press right elbow against his flank, and he 
must lie down. 

The rope is now under the horse's body. Put the end of rope 
through the ring in the halter, then through the ring in the surcin- 
gle on the horse's back. Then take your position at the horse's back 
as seen in engraving. You can prevent him from getting up by pull* 



— 140 — 

ing his head to his shoulder. If the horse is nervous and excitable, 
have your assistants crack the whip, rattle tin pans and shoot fire- 
arms around him, until he will lie perfectly quiet, with his head 
resting on the ground. In order to familiarize your horse to all ob- 
jects of which he is afraid, repeat this lesson once a day for three or 
four days. I would recommend that every horse should be thrown, 
as it takes the conceit out of him. 




Fourth Position in Throwing and Showing the Horse Down. 



Question. How do you make your surcingle, and what will it cost? 

Answer. My surcingle that I use in all of my exhibitions is eight 
feet long, and around the horse's body four inches wide, with a three- 
kch buckle, and the part of the surcingle that goes through the 
fcuckle two and one-half inches wide. When the surcingle is on 
the horse the buckle comes right on the side of the animal, under- 
neath the horse's body. There are four two-inch rings, one on each 
side, one underneath, and on the lop of the surcingle a ring. These 
rings underneath the horse's body are used for the working of my 



-141- 

double, safety rope; the rings on the side of the surcingle are used 
for the reins to pass through ; the ring on the top of the surcingle 
is used to pass the rope through and hold the horse down after yon 
have thrown him. This surcingle is a very handy thing for every- 
one to have, and any man that has a number of horses to handle or 
break should not be without one. 




Proper Halter to be Used In Throwing a Ylcioas Horse. 



They are very handy to have in the stable in case of a sick horsa 
or any surgical operation that you may wish to perform. 

They should cost you about $5.50, according to the material that 
you have in it. This surcingle I use when 1 throw the horse. Every 
horseman should have one. 



— 142- 

If in throwing a horse you find it requires too much strength, th© 
horse being too large or fights too hard, when using my method of 
drawing up one foot, I would suggest the appliance of my double 
safety strap. Buckle the strap around each front limb below the 
fetlock joint. Take a strap twenty feet long, snapping to strap on 
nigh front limb, place through the ring in surcingle underneath his 
body, draw through ring on off front limb and back through ring in 
surcingle. Now take hold of strap with right hand, take the halter 
m left hand. Your horse is standing on three legs. Now pull him 
to you, and when he makes a move, you pull the strap and raise the 
other leg; this brings him to his knees, Now pull his head around 
to you, and the horse will gently fall upon his right side. This is 
the safest and best method of throwing a horse I know of, there being 
no danger of hurting either horse or man. 

You Must Educate Your Horse. 

Educate and teach him as you would a child, and thus make him 
more useful and valuable to man. The horse is an animal of no 
little intelligence, docility and faithfulness, qualities which would 
be more generally apparent were it not for the cruel treatment so 
commonly practiced in breaking him. Have patience with him, and 
practice good judgment and common sense in handling him. Un- 
derstand before you commence to drive him that he is a dumb brute, 
and as he cannot talk he will watch your every movement. A finely- 
bred horse is a3 sensitive as a well-bred person, and you should not 
halloo, whip or spur him as you would an old dung-hill of a brute. 

The whip is a very good thing, but should only be used in its 
place, which I will give you a little illustration of here. If you are 
driving along the road and your horse shies at a covered wagon or a 
bicycle or a white dog, or anything that excites his fright and causes 
him to shy, do not wait until he gets by and then up and whip him 
for the next fifteen minutes, but when he discovers it, take the lines 
in the left hand and the whip in the right, and when he makes his 
first shy give him a sharp crack of the whip, at the same time say- 
ing " take care, sir ; what do you mean ?" Don't tal k a3 though you 
were half asleep, but as if you meant just what you said. Keop both 
eve* open and don't whip him as though vou were trying only to kill 



-143- 

a fly on his back. Never strike a blow with a whip unless the voice 
accompanies it ; the word and blow should go together. 

One failing the horse-owners have is they do not talk to their horses 
enough. If a horse starts and runs you will Btay in the carriage and 
not open your mouth, but sit pulling on the reins. You should 
speak to the horse, and if he is afraid of anything tell him to " take 
care, etc., it is not going to hurt you ;" the same time crack the whip to 
draw his attention. As a horse cannot think of two things at onoa, 
the consistency of this is of course apparent. 

Bad Biters. 

If the horse is a stallion with a confirmed habit of biting and 
striking, I should not think it worth my while to attempt to cure 
him, but should castrate him at once. You are always in risk of 
your life or limb while you have such an animal about If a mare or 
gelding, put on the Gleason bridle, and watch him closely, in a sly way, 
not letting him know you are watching him, but when he attempts 
to bite give him a few severe pulls upon the bridle. Do this in such 
places as he is most likely to bite, and we will warrant that a few 
efforts will teach your animal that his jaws were not made to bite 
his keeper. To prevent a stallion from biting his mate when 
hitched up double, attach an independent line to the outside ring of 
his bit, letting it hang loosely, the end being held by the driver. 
As he attempts to bite, pull up sharply, and hit him severely with 
the whip. 

Question. How would you handle a vicious, biting stallion P 

Answer. The first thing I should do with him would be to throw 
him four or five times. When the horse is down handle his head, 
open his mouth and handle his mouth. Put on the "Gleason Bridle," 
take the whip in your right hand, cord in the left, and give him a 
thorough handling with this bridle, teaching him to stop when you 
say, "Whoa," and turn right and left quickly at the word of com- 
mand. I have handled a great number of vicious, biting stallions 
by the use of gunpowder, using revolvers holding thirty-eight blank 
cartridges. The moment the horse comes near you, or makes an at- 



-144- 

tempt to bite you, discharge the revolver directly in front of him, 
which frightens the animal and gives him such a sudden shock that 
it makes him afraid to bite you. Ail vicious, biting stallions should 
be watched closely, and never trusted, as I believe an old biting 
horse can never be broken of the habit so everybody can handle him. 

Question. How do you educate a bad shier ? 

Answer. In educating a bad shier I put on my double safety 
strap, which is a surcingle, around his body, a strap buckled around 
each front foot below each fetlock joint, then take a strap twenty 
feet long, tie one end of that strap into ring on nigh front limb, 
bring over surcingle under the horse's body down to ring on off 
front limb, back over the ring in the surcingle. Put on open bridle 
and straight bar bit, run the lines through ring on side of surcingle, 
then take and teach the horse the word "whoa" thoroughly, to "get 
up" by word of command and to back by word of command ; then 
throw papers at him, blankets, buffalo robes ; roll barrels around 
him, wave flags over his head. If he makes any attempt to get away 
pull your safety strap and bring him to both knees and hold him 
there. As soon as he becomes quiet let him up on his feet ; crack 
the whip around him, and in fact give him to thoroughly understand 
that these objects are perfectly harmless. After giving the horse 
two lessons he is ready to drive on the street. 

Question. Ho\» would you educate a bad runaway horse ? 
Answer. The same treatment as a bad shier, only more severe. 

Question. How would you educate and break a horse from run* 
ning backwards with a wagon ? 

Answer. Put on my double safety strap, harness your horse up 
to the wagon, get into the wagon, take the lines in the right hand 
and the safety rope in the left ; you say "back" to the horse. When 
he has backed as far as you wish him to, say "whoa," and pull the 
safety rope, which prevents him from backing any fui fcher. After 
giving three or four lessons in this manner the horse will under- 
stand what you mean by "back," and when you say "whoa" wilJ 
Immediately stop. 



«»U0 - 

How to Drive a Horse up to Objects that he is Afraid of. 

A practical way of driving a horse up to an object that he is afraid 
of is : Take the whip in your right hand, the lines in the left; when 
you are within ten or fifteen feet of the object, speak to your horse 
sharp and firmly, using about thip language : "Get up there, sir, what 
is the matter with you ; that won't hurt you ;" at the same moment 
hitting him one severe cut with the whip; but do not repeat the 
blow unless it is necessary to hold him at his post. The moment 
that you have driven him up to the object he is afraid of, stop him, 
get out of your wagon and caress him, teach him that he is not go- 
ing to be harmed, and by all means let him walk away from the ob- 
ject, never letting him go faster than a walk. 

This same rule is laid down for saddle horses. 

Question. How would you stop a runaway horse ? 

Answer. Always, when driving, hold your reins firmly, whether 
the horse is vicious or not; you should at all times be on your guard, as 
they are never to be trusted. If your horse should take fright and 
start to run away, take a firm hold of the left line with your left 
hand, reach down upon the right line with your right hand and say 
" whoa," sharp, and pull the line quickly at the same time that 
you give the command, but do not move the left line; this at once 
pulls your horse's head around to his side, and in nine cases out of ten 
will bring him to a stand-still ; never see-saw the reins or pull up- 
on both lines, as you have no power then to stop the animal. Never 
jump from the carriage, as more lives are lost and more limbs broken 
by being frightened and jumping from the carriage when the horse 
is running away. Keep cool and you will control the horse easily 
by following above directions. 

Question. How would you drive a lugger or puller on the bit ? 

Answer, I would use a plain straight bar bit wound with rubber 
or leather, doing away with the check rein. It is necessary in order 
to drive a lugger successfully to give him three or four lessons on the 
word " whoa " and the word " steady j " teach him that when you 



•ay u steady * it is to slack up in speed, but when yon say " whoa/ 
it is for him to stop. 

See that his teeth are not sharp, and if they are, have them fixed 
at once. There is no law that can be laid down for the driving of a 
lugger only to use as gentle and soft bits as possible. 

Question. How do you educate or break a vicious kicking horse so 
he will drive gentle and be fit for family use ? 

Answer. In the first place take your horse out on a soft place, or 
on the plowed ground, and throw him down by working as follows ; 
Put a surcingle around his body ; take a strap and buckle around 
the off front limb, below the fetlock joint ; take a rope eight feet 
long and tie into that strap, bring it up over the horse's back ; you 
stand on the nigh side of the horse and take hold of this rope with 




O. B. Gleason's Double Safety Strap. 



your right hand and pull his foot to his body ; then you take hold 
of the halter with the left hand and pull his head around to you, 
placing yoar right elbow against the horse's side, using the words 
" lie down." He may fight for three or four minutes, but if you 
hold to his head and keep it pulled around to you he must go down ; 
after he has been thrown, then take the rope and run it through the 
ring in the surcingle at his back, through the halter, back through 
the ring in the surcingle, then you take hold of the rope and if b 



-147- 

goes to get tip pull the rope, and this brings his head to his shoulder 
and prevents him from getting up ; then take tin pans, bells, rattle 
them all around him, then you can let him up ; then you take and 
put on an ordinary open bridle, straight bar bit, using the pad of 
your harness, run the rings through the thill straps, then put on my 
double safety strap, which goes as follows : 

Buckle the strap around each front limb below the fetlock joint, 
take a strap twenty feet long and snap in strap on nigh front limb, 
place through ring in surcingle underneath his body ; draw through 
ring on off front limb back through ring in surcingle; step back 
behind the horse and take reins in right hand, pull on the left hand 
and commence to drive him ; every time he kicks bring him to his 
knees ; then take a back strap, attach to the reins with crouper and 
fasten on to that bells and one-half dozen tin pans, a bundle of straw, 
and drive him around with these articles hitting his heels ; have an- 
other man take a pole ten feet long and rattle these pans and bells; 
carry the pole in front of the horse's limbs, and back behind his 
limbs, and every time he makes an attempt to kick bring him to his 
knees, using the command " take care, there, sir ;" speak this very 
sharply and firmly ; give him two lessons each day, each lesson not 
to be over one hour in length, and in five days your horse is thor- 
oughly broke and will be gentle to drive to the carriage. 

When working the horse, always use him on the soft ground where 
there are no stones; always use knee protectors, as this guards 
against any accident happening. 

Question. How would you break a bad balker ? 

Answer. There are three or four kinds of balky horses ; some 
are nervous and excitable, while others seem to have no ambition 
whatever. A dead-lifed balky horse, to my knowledge, is not worth 
breaking. All high-lifed balky horses can be brought under per- 
fect control and thoroughly broke by following these directions: 

Take your horse out and throw him repeatedly fifteen or twenty 
times; then put on the bridle and the harness, running the lines 
through the thill strap and telling him to "get up," and stop and 
back by the word of command. Teach him this thoroughly before 
you place him before the wagon. If he will not move forward 



— 148 - 

when you give him the word, take a rope or a strap twenty feet long, 
tie around his neck, and then place through his mouth, making a 
half hitch on his lower jaw, having one of your men standing di- 
rectly in front of the horse with this rope in his hand, which I term 
as a guy line. "When you give the word "get up," let him pull Ibis 
rope at the same time, which will move the horse forward quickly. 
Kow understand that the command and the pull of the rope must 




both take place at the same time, in order for you to have success. 
Practice this two days, not making the lessons over one hour in 
length, then hitching him to a light vehicle, first working with your 
horse quietly and afterwards giving him to understand what you 
want him to do. Never make any false motion, never lose your 
temper, and always have plenty of patience, and you will meet with 
victory. 

All Grades of Balky Horses. 

I am asked the question almost every day, "can you break a balky 
Jiorse?" Yes. "Can you break a balky horse so anybody can drive 



him ?" No. "Why ?" Because it is impossible for me or any otho* 
man to break all the balky drivers in the land. Now there are many 
grades of balky horses. It is a habit of a great many persons, when 
breaking a colt, to hitch him up first beside of an old farm horse 
that is lazy, blind in one eye, and so old that he is deuf. When you 
have got this nervous, excitable colt harnessed beside the old, slow 
horse, you then take up the lines and ask your team to go. The colt 
plunges ahead, the old horse having spent many days in the harness, 
takes life very easy and gradually gets in motion. The colt cornea 
back, the load don't move. The next time you ask them to go the 
old horse moves ahead, the colt sits back in the breeching. " Ha ! 
ha ! " yourneighbor says, " got a balky colt there." Not at all. You 
certainly will have if you persist in your present course. Take him 
out of the double harness, break him to drive single, and you will 
have no trouble with him, single or double. 

In handling a balky horse of long standing, one that has been 
spoiled by mismanagement, it is advisable to first throw him four or 
five times. Then put your harness on with an open bridle, running 
the lines through the thill straps, get behind him with a good whip, 
and teach him the words "get up." At the same time that you give 
him the command to move forward, hit him a cut with the whip, 
showing him that that means "move forward." Work with him in 
this manner for three or four lessons. You then tie a rope in the 
traces, carrying it around your back, and teach him to pull your 
weight, walking behind him. When you have got him so that he 
will turn right and left quickly, stop' at the word "whoa," get up 
at the word and pull your weight, you can hitch him to a light road 
cart, getting into the wagon, giving him the word "get up, sir." If 
he should fail to go, have your assistant take a rope twenty feet long 
tie it around his neck, pass it through his mouth, back through 
the cord that you pass through his mouth, making a half hitch on 
the lower jaw. Let your assistant stand directly in front of tha 
horse with the rope being slack. Hold your whip in the right hand, 
when you are ready to go give the word, and the man pulls the rope 
and yon hit the horse with the whip, all at the same moment If ha 
don't move forward then, let the party who holds the rope step to 
the right and left, jerking his head until he moves forward, you using 
the words at each and every time, "get up, sir." Give him a few 



— 150 — 

lessons for three or four days in this manner, and in the majority <»f 
cases you have got a horse that will pull. 

There are other balky horses that it is necessary to throw and give 
a good whipping. This character of a horse is generally of a slug- 
gish disposition, and the only way that you can get it to go will be 
to frighten it with the whip. I had one horse that I could not work 
by any other means than as follows: I hitched him to a wagon and 
asked him to go, but he would not even straighten the traces. I got 
a man to take a good whalebone whip and stand at the side of the 
horse and whip him over the end of the nose. This I kept up for 
about ten minutes, just as hard as he could whip him. At the end 
of that time Mr. Horse got sick of balking and has never balked 
from that day. 

There are other horses that it will be necessary to handle in a 
more quiet manner, but in some cases you must use the whip to 
get the animal frightened, so that when you speak to him he knowa 
that he must move forward. When working a horse you must not 
leave him until you conquer him, if it takes twenty-four hours. 
But understand me correctly, don't lose your temper, don't use a 
club, don't kick him ; use a good whip. Be careful and not hit him 
on the body or in the eyes. Use the whip on his legs and on his 
nose. I have started a great many balky horses by striking them 
with a whip around their front legs. This is a very tender spot and 
they won't stand long and take the punishment there. In working 
a balky horse, always keep a large stock of patience on hand, and 
don't think you are going to break him in two hours, because you 
are not. The moment he goes, reward him for it by giving him an 
apple. 

Question. How would you break a halter puller ? 

Answer. Take a strap fifteen feet long and throw it over his back; 
reach under his body, take hold of the end of the strap and tie an 
ordinary slip-knot ; have this knot come directly under the horse'i 
body ; place the strap between his front limbs up through the halter, 
and hitch to a post or to a ring in the manger ; do not hitch the 
halter strap ; then step in front of your horse with tin ?ans, blank- 
ets, umbrellas, and all kinds of objects, in fact, everything, and 
lighten him and make him pull if possible. After pulling b&eH 



-1C1 — 

upon this strap he will not make more than the second or third at- 
tempt Repeat these lessons twice a day for five days. This will 
break any horse of the habit of pulling on the halter if you follow 
my instructions. 




Question* 
or steam ? 



How would you educate a horse not to be afraid of cart 



Answer, In taking a horse up to the cars put on the "Gleason 
Bridle," taking the rope in your left hand, with the whip in the 
right, making the horse follow you, and take him right up to the 
cars and hold him there. It is impossible for him to get away from 
you or this bridle. You then should caress him and teach him that 
the cars are not going to hurt him. One of the main objects of 
your lesson should be to teach the animal that you are his frieud 
and protector ; get him to place confidence in you, and he will go 
through fire with you. 
11 



— 152 — 

In driving a horse up to steam, I would advise the putting on of 
my double safety strap, and run the reins through the thill strap of 
the pad, and drive him first up to the steam. If he makes a deter- 
mined attempt to get away bring him to his knees. It may be 
necessary for you to use the guy strap, having a man hold the guy 
strap, that will hold the horse up to the steam ; but you must be 




rery careful not to get him burned or hurt him in any way, but 
teach him that the steam is perfectly harmless. As soon as the 
horse finds out that the steam will not injure him, you will find 
that in the second or third lesson he will walk right up to it from 
command of his master. Make your lessons short, but firm. I 
would advise, in training horses to steam, to take them up to a trac- 
tion engine, or up to a mill' where there is steam used, taking them 
to the cars afterwards. 



— JB3- 



Another good way of breaking a horse to the cars, is to hitch your 
horse up beside a heavy team horse, where he cannot get away, and 
after he has been driven up to the cars four or five times he is then 
sale to drive to your single wagon. 




Question. How would you break a shier ? 

Answer. I would first place upon him my double safety straps 
which is thoroughly described elsewhere, and make him thoroughly 
acquainted with the beating of drums, the rattling of tin pans, floi 
the " Star Spangled Banner," and the shooting off firearms, fire 
crackers, music, &c, by driving him right up to them and giving 
him to understand he will not be hurt. And by repeating this lesson 
every day, for three or four days, your horse has become thoroughly 
conversant with them and will never show fear when approaching 
them. Always in giving these lessons to your horse, bear in mind 
that you must be very careful that none of the devices you use must 
hit him in such a manner as to cause pain. 



— 164- 




Showing: position of Horse with one foot raised by tbe use of ©» R. 
Uleasoii's Double Safety Strap. Tain is one of tbe Greatest inventions 
of tbe age for handling: and controlling' wild and vicious horses. More 
ean be accomplished in thirty minutes than by any and all otbs* 
methods in a day's time. 




•bowing- Knee Pads as they should be Placed on Horse's Knees. Bfeve* 
Handle with tbe Safety Strap Unless yon have these Pads to Protect 
tela Knees, 



-155 — 




pbotinj? O. B. Gleason's Double Safety- Strap, Knee Pads, Ac. Alsa 
Lines run through Rings on side of Surcingle, ready for operation. 



Question. What do you think of the word "whoa ?" 

Answer. It is the greatest command that we have in horseman- 
ihip ; it is the habit of almost every person when driving to con- 
tinually use the word "whoa." Now let me say to you that you 
should never use this word only when you want your horse or horses 
to stop. If you are driving along a street and you come to a cross- 
ing or a bad place and you wish your horses to slack up in speed, 
use this language to them : "Steady there, my boy;" but when you 
wish them to stop, speak out sharply and firmly "whoa." If you will 
practice this when you are driving your horse, in two weeks you 
will have hiaa b© that he will understand every command that you 
give him. 



— 156 — 

Never use one word with too many meanings. You must neve* 
lie to your horse and never deceive him or make false motions; if 
you do you will never make a success as a trainer of the horse. 

Mankind are too apt to depend upon their own strength to beat the 
horse, without making any use of their reasoning powers to out- 
general him ; and, in many instances, such an exercise of tyranny 
over the horse only engenders a rebellious spirit on the part of the 
animal. Therefore, lay aside your strength and use your reason. 
Be moderate, be temperate. No man can become a good horseman 
and not have first learned to control himself before he attempts to 
control the animal. Be firm, be persevering, be honest. Never lie 
to your horse. Endeavor to have him understand what you want, 
and do not confuse him by attaching different meanings to the same 
word. It is quite common to say "whoa," when it is only intended 
to go slower ; or, when the horse has not stirred a foot, to let him 
know of your presence ; and then when you want a "whoa," when 
your life may depend upon your having a good 'whoa" upon you 
horse, you find you have not got it. You have played it entirely out 
of him. Never say "whoa" unless you mean to stop right there. 
Speak always in a natural tone of voice, under all circumstances. 

Have your horse understand, by examination and experience, that 
the things liable to frighten are harmless, and be sure not to whip 
him for being frightened. Always let your horse face the object of 
fear ; and, when frightened, remember the slower you move your 
horse the more power you have over him. There are times when 
letting a horse trot is almost as bad as letting him run away. 

Fear is something a horseman should never exhibit in his counte- 
nance or voice, as the horse is a close observer, and soon learns to 
take advantage of such indications to become careless of control, if 
not indeed aggressive. Let your lessons be thorough but not very 
long. Be gentle and patient with the colt, but make the willful 
stubborn horse feel the full extent of your power, till he submits. 
Though if Le should become much heated and excited, it is prudent 
to stop and repeat the lesson at some future time — repeat uniil there 
is thorough and unconditional submission. Let your treatment be 
characterized by gentleness afterwards. 



— 157- 

Question How would you get a horse up when he throws him- 
self? 

Answer. Blow in his ear ; if he does not get up by this, take a 
glass of water, or a dish of water, and pour in his nostrils; he will 
rise to his feet very quickly. Aod in the handling of a mustang, 
which becomes very stubborn and sulky, sometimes this treatment 
will fail on them, and it will be necessary to take a light whip and 
use it on the end of the nose. Th^y will soon learn that when they 
throw themselves they are punished ; and when they don't they are 
rewarded. In this manner you teach them right from wrong. 

Question* Plow do you start a balky horse in double team ? 

Answer. After you have taken your horse out and given him a thor- 
ough handling, then hitch him up beside an honest, true horse that 
will pull every time you ask him. Take a half-inch rope and tie 
around the balky horse's body, right in front of his hips, in an ordi- 
nary slip-knot; have this knot come directly on the side of the 
horse, then carry the rope over the wagon pole and hitch to the true 
horse's collar. Get into your wagon, pick up the reins, and hit the 
true horse a crack with the whip, saying, "Get out of here." "When 
you do he will jump and take the rope with him, and when he does 
the balky horse must come. 

Question. How would you break a horse from being afraid of a 
dog or a hog ? 

Answer. Handle the same a3 for shiers. Keep one eye on the 
hog and one eye on the horse. In order to break your horse of this 
habit it will require five or six lessons. 

The best way to break your horse of being afraid of a hog is to 
take a small pig right into the buggy or break- wagon, or whatever 
you are using, having the horse worked with open bridle ; but be 
sure and have on my safety rope, as when he sees the pig and the pig 
squeals, you will find things will get very interesting ; but the mo- 
ment he starts to run say " whoa," sharp and firm, pull the safetj 
rope and bring the horse to his knees. 



— 158- 

Tf it is a dog that he is afraid of, let the dog run around him ani 
In front of him; put the Gleason bridle on the horse and 
make him come up and smell of the dog ; walk around him. Then 
throw your horse and hold him down, and take the dog and put him 
on top of the horse. Work like this two or three days with the ani- 
mal, giving short lessons, and you have got the best broken hog and 
flog horse in the world. 

Question. How do you use the whip P Do you believe in whip* 
ping a horBe ? 

Answer. No lady or gentleman should ride or drive a horse with- 
out t having with them a good whip. The whip in its place is a good 
instrument, but it is very often misused by parties ; for instance, 
how many do you see driving through the streets of our cities, and 
in our public parks, that if a horse becomes frightened at a bicycle or 
a band, or any object whatever, and he make.3 an attempt to shy, 
will get him by it the best way he can, and the moment he has passed 
the object out comes the whip with the word: "I'll teach you to shy,*' 
and the horse receives a severe punishment The horse, not having 
the reasoning power that you have, believes that the punishment that 
he has just received has come from the object that he was so much 
frightened at. 

Question. How would you keep a horse from pawing in the stable ? 

Answer* Take a piece of chain seven inches long, not a plow chain, 
but trace chain ; tie on one end of that a piece of hard wood five 
iucb.es long and one inch in diameter; then take a strap and buckl6 
around the horse's limb, above the knee, letting this chain and wood 
hang from the strap. Every time the horse paws this piece of wood 
will hit his limb, and as he cannot think of two things at one time, 
it will draw his attention in such a manner as to prevent him from 
pawing. 

Question. How would you keep a horse from kicking in the 
stall? 

Answer. Take a piece of elastic about ten inches long, sew a vest 
bncklft one end of it and buckle this around the horse's hind limb. 



-160 — 




T» hwp a Uwrtt* from iLLn^ta* la ta« stall. 



;=^T=ri"3 



— 160 — 

•bore the hock joint When the horse kicks the leader must ea. 
pand, the result is the elastic prevents it from doing so, and thi 
horse's habit of kicking in the stall will soon be broken up. Never 
use a strap or rope ; if you do it will stop the circulation. In atf 
case* use the elastic. 




Question. What do you think of whirling a horse by his tail ? 

Answer. If you have a horse bad to harness, or will not stand to be 
bridled or saddled, take the halter strap in your left hand, take hold 
of the horse's tail with your right hand, and whirl him around 
eight or ten times. He will become dizzy, and the moment you let 
go of him he will stagger or fall. Then say " whoa ; " pick up your 
saddle, harness or bridle, or whatever you want to put on him, and 
you will find that he will stand perfectly quiet It is a quick and 
effective method. 

Never tie your horse's head and tail together, but follow the »bov« 
tortructions. 



— 161 - 

Question. How would you break a home from switching hit 
tail? 

Answer, Place on the horse a collar and hames, and then take 
hold of his tail. Take a wooden pin five inches long, one inch in 
diameter, lay directly across the hair of his tail, double the end of 
the tail over the pin ; then take a rope eight feet long, in the middle 




*fe= 



of the rope make a slip-knot and fasten over the end of the tail and 
pin ; then bring the horse's tail up over his back, bringing one of 
these ropes down to the ring of the hame and tying it, and on the 
other side in the same way; the rope prevents the tail from going 
either side ; take an ordinary cloth surcingle and put that over and 
around his body; leave the tail up in this manner for six hours; if a 
very bad case, repeat three times. This ia the beat method I ever 
used, and will surely do its work. 



Question. 

crackers? 



— 163- 

How would yon educate a horse not to be afraid of fir* 



Answer, Hitch him to a wagon, put on my double safety strap, 
and drive him right up to the fire-crackers, and if he goes to turn 
around with you or run back or run away, pull the strap, which will 
immediately bring him to his knees, but do not hold the strap. As 
toon as he comes to his knees loosen the strap and pull the lines, 




nsing the command " whoa, sir." Now have boys throw fire-crackert 
under him, all around him, up in the air, and if he makes any at- 
tempt to get away say " whoa,/' sharp and firm. For you to meet 
with success with a horse of this character, or, in fact any horse, yon 
must talk to him, always speaking distinctly and firmly. After you 
have given the horse two lesions he wii> pay no attention to fira- 
arackers. 



~ 1M — 

Question. How would yon educate a horse not to be afraid of 
paper and umbrellas ? 

Answer. Put on my double safety strap, take your horse out into 
the field where there are boys with flags, paper, umbrellas, and drive 
him right up to the flags, paper, etc. ; if he makes any attempt to 
get away, bring him to his knees; if necessary, throw him, naye 




the boys wave the flag3 over hia head, throw the paper up in the an. 
put umbrellas over his head, drive him over the paper drive him 
over the flags, drive over the umbrella, make him step into it, stand 
on it infant teach him that these objects are perfectly harmless. 
Two lessons a day for two days, not having the lesson over one hour 
riengZwill thoroughly break your horse The most dangerou, 
.hier can be thoroughly broken by following the above directions. 

Question. How would yon break a plunger or bolter ? 

Answer. Put on my double safety strap, and when he plunges in 
the air pull the strap, when he will come down on his knees. He 
^ 1 not P plunge over Ihree or four times before he will be sick of hm 
tol Then introduce him to drums, pans, bells, and, in fact, giv. 



— 164 — 

him a general handling in ilia same way that I control Stokers. 
After giving two lessons he will not bother yon about bolting or 
plunging. If he should bother you in bolting on the street, or at 
any certain place, take him right there and handle him with the 
eafety strap. If he should be inclined to balk, use guy lines as laid 
down for breaking balky horses. 




Take four hame straps, or similar small straps, buckle one around 
toach pastern. Then run a strap from the near side foot to the offside 
hind foot, passing it through the ring in the surcingle under the 
horse's body; also one from the off side front foot to the near side 
hind foot, leaving the straps loose enough to give the horse full use 
of his limbs in trotting or walking. When he kicks he will draw 
up his fore feet, striking on his knees. He will soon cease to kick. 



Question. How do you prevent a horse from putting his tongue 
out of his mouth over the bit ? 

Answer, Get a piece of sole leather seven inches long from point 
to point and three inches wide. (See engraving.) Lay a straight 
oar bit in the middle of the leather, bringing the points up together. 



— 185 — 




[Miiier of Driving and Breaking a Bad Kickor when all other 
Methods Fail. 




^ YtWCBt « Hop» froiu I uttlug hit Tongue Out of hi* Ifouth o T « 

the Bit. » 



— 166- 



Sew it on to the bit bo it cannot turn, and sew up the sides. Pat 
this in your horse's mouth over the tongue, running backwards to- 
ward the throat. He cannot get his tongue back far enough to gel 
it over this leather. It is very simple, and will only cost you fifteen 
or twenty cents. It is the best I have ever used, 




Teaching a Horse bow to Stand while Shooting over his Bach. 



Put on the Gleason bridle, take it firmly in your left hand and 
take a revolver loaded with blank cartridges in your right hand; 
every time you discharge the revolver say "whoa" and pull the bridle 
sharply. Teach your horse that the sound and smoke from the re. 
volver will not hurt him. Work in this way for thirty minutes aft 
» time for three or four days and your horse will pay no attention 
to firearms. 

"With very nervous and excitable horses it is someumes necessary 
to throw them and fire several times, showing them that they cannot 
gel away, and that there is nothing to be afraid of. Follow tnese 



- 101 ■ 

mitructions, and you will be surprised to Bee how quiokly your hor« 
will understand that you are not going to hurt him. 

How to approach a biting horse: Always do so with a revolrer 
heavily loaded with blank cartridges in your right hand. Advanoe 
this hand toward the horse's mouth, the muzzle pointing past him, 
bo the powder will not burn him. If he attempts to bite you, at 
that instant shoot off the revolver. Every time he makes the at 




B«T«Iv«r s*«d by O. B. dUeason lu deftondinft hlniself from the Moiuufl 4 * 
Hit lug Stallion Kymil 3 It. 



tempt repeat the shooting. This causes the horse to think 
the biting causes the explosion ; this he wishes to avoid, and will soon 
cease to bite at you. The old theory of clubbing a horse only adds 
to and increases his vicious temper. This is an original method o! 
my own, which I have successfully used in handling Kysdyk and 
many other vicious biting stallions. 

In leading horses in battle have the saddles made with a back- 
strap and crupper, having an inch ring attached to the crupper; 
then have a str; p four feet long with an ordinary driving snap sewed 
into each end of it. While riding, snap onO of these snaps into uhe 
nng of the bit, then the other end of the strap into the ring of the 
saddle. In dismounting and hitching a large number of horses 
together, unsnap the line from the saddle and snap that into the ring 
on the crupper of the front horse, as seen in the above engraving. 
By this method two men are capable of controlling twenty horses at 
one time, leading them or holding them. The only extra cost would 

be attaching a back-strap and orupper, and the short l'uur-tuot line, 
19 



-1*1- 




leading- Horses In Battle. 




-100- 




Oleaning Collars. 

They should be cleaned two or three times a week, collars that are 
In constant use, as the accumulations that gather upon the surface 
next the shoulder of the horse becomes rough and uneven. If it 
does not gall it irritates and annoys the horse when he is required 
to pull, causing him to try to avoid the irritation or pain, and often 
makes balky horses. 

Harness and Saddles. 

Harness used on all draft horses should be carefully cleaned reg* 
ularly once a week. Collars should be cleaned daily, thoroughly 
scraping all scurf arising from heating the horse from the collar be- 
fore it is used a second time. Always have your harness properly 
oiled and pliable, so that it will fit the horse as a boot fits a mau. 

Baddies should have the same care and attention, and great pains 
Bhonld be taken that the saddle fits the back, to prevent galla and 
•ores. Thin a almost universally neglected. 



~i70- 




Double Draw Check Bein. 

Use one-half of an ordinary kimble and jack check rein. Hav* « 
etrap fourteen feet long, place the middle of thia strap around tne 
check hook, carry the nds up through the little rings in the kimble 
and jack rein, bring them back, pass them through the terret rings 
with the lines. Have a buckle sewed on the lines about six inchei 
back of the rings. Buckle this check into the lines, and you have a 
bridle check that the harder you pull the higher you lift your horse's 
head. This check is used for driving kickers and runaway horses 
snd very bad pullers. (See engraving). 



Question, How would you keep a horse from jumping over a fence ? 

Answer. Buckle around his body a surcingle with a two-inch ring 
directly under his body; take two straps with an ir_2h ring in each 
**id and buckle them around the horse's front limbs, above the knees > 



then take a strap thirteen inches in length with a driving strap fit 
ene end, strapping one of them into the ring on the off front limb; 




bring through the ring in surcingle and strap into ring on nigh front 
limb, Tha horse can walk and trot, lie down and get up, but h« 




•boning Jumping Uig as n&ed by O. R. Gleason to break Fence Jnni y a— » 



Sarmot run or jump, as he cannot move both front feet at th* «ame 
lime. This can be used upon colts aa well as horses. 

Question, How would you keep a horse from tearing his blanket 
In the stall P 




Answer* Sew a piece of leather about fiv inches square on each 
iide of the halter, letting it come down even with his mouth ; when 
he reaches down to grab the blanket he will have to chew the leather, 



Question. 
the stall ? 



How would you keep a horse from getting cast in 



Answer. Put on the horse a halter ; sew a ring in the halter over 
the horse's head; on top of the stall drive a staple and ring; at 
the side of the stall drive another staple and ring, take a rope 
ten feet long with a driving snap threaded into ona end of it; 
feed your horse from the floor with a manger of oats. When 



— ITS — 

yonr horse's head is down, snap this rope into the ring on top ol 
the halter and pass up through ring over his head, through 
ring on side of the stall and hang a weight there ; that wftl 
take up the slack of the rope the moment that he raises his 
head. Hitch him in this way only ; he cannot roll over or get 
cast in the stall, as you will aee it is impossible for him to turn 
his head around. 




Question, What do you think of grooming a horse f 

Answer. When you are grooming a horse you must remem- 
ber that horses are like people, some have a very thin skin and 
are very tender. One-half of the grooms of to-day when using their 
curry-combs and brush, bear on with the curry-comb as hard as 
possible, the result is that a thin skinned horse cannot and will 
not stand it. I have seen many high-bred horses, trotters and 
runners, that have been made vicious biters and strikers, caused 
by ignorant grooming. Now when you find a horse that has a 
very thin skin run the crry-comb over him light and easy and 
soft as possible, getting most of the dust out with a good bnish, 



— 174 — 

using directly after the brush straw, and rub him thoroughly 
with it ; then use a rubbing cloth, which will put on a polish. 
One of the best methods for cleaning and caring for a horse that 
has been driven fast and comes into the stable very warm, is to 
take a meal sack, turn it wrong side out with meal all over it, 
rub this meal right into the hair, rub him as near dry as possi- 
ble, put the blanket on him as soon as he is dry, then you can use 
the curry -oomb and brush and clean the horse as usual ; this 
will leave him in fine condition. The meal will make the horse's 
hair glossy and shine like a blackened boot. 




A horse should be cleaned but once a day, and this should be 
at night, after he has done his day's work ; in the morning 
merely straighten his coat and clean off what dirt may have col- 
lected in the stall during the night. My reason ior giving a 
horse a thorough cleaning at night is the same that you would 
do yourself after a hard day's work ; taking a good wash and 
general cleaning up refreshes you wonderfully. 



— l?5 — 

What is good for man is good for the horse ; they need the 
lame care and treatment. This method, you must understand, 
I mean for work horses. 

Question. How do you teach a horse to back ? 

Answer, f ut on the " Gleason Bridle," drawing the strap 
In your right hand, and stand at the horse's shoulder ; press 
your left hand upon his neck ; use the words "back, sir," and 
pull the strap at the same time. This will give the horse a 
severe jerk in the mouth and he will back four or five inches. 
The moment that he does so caress him and teach him that he 
has done right. Then repeat the le3son again and again, until 
shortly the horse will back any distance for you at the word of 
command. Some colts will be very stubborn and fight you for 
five or ten minutes ; but keep at them, always having plenty of 
patience, and at last you will gain your point. 

Question. "Wcat do you think of bitting a colt? 

Answer. If nature has not designed the colt to have a high 
head and carriage no art of man can alter it, and the old fashion 
of strapping up the neck in an unnatural position and leaving 
it there for hours, in nine cases out of ten, results in a heavy 
headed lugger on the bit. I do not believe or endorse the 
working of the old-fashioned bitting reins. I simply use the 
Gleason Bridle, teaching the colt to turn his head quickly 
to the right and left, stopping at the word "whoa." 1 
then take and put on an ordinary open bridle and straight 
bar bit, teaching him to guide by line quickly and easily ; 
working in this way with a colt for three or four days, 
then you can put on the check rein and check him up to 
his natural position. The next day you can check him a 
little higher, and the next day a little higher yet ; then you 
understand that the horse generally elevates his head, works 
pleasantly upon the bit, and you are not getting him mad nor 
breaking down his constitution by forcing and straining him 
with the old-fashioned hitting reins. 



-176 — 

Question. How do you make your single riding bridle ? 

Answer. Take strap eight feet long; place the middle of 
this strap on top of your horse's head, carry it down the side of 
his face, placing each strap through his mouth, bringing the 
*nds up to the back, and the riding bridle is complete. 

This bridle is simple and useful, handy to ride a horse to 
pasture, or to exercise horses with. 

Question. How do you teach a horse to lie down at the word 
of command ? 

Answer. Take him out into a field or nice soft place and 
throw him twelve or thirteen times, using the words "lie down," 
plain and distinct. After you throw him, let him lie quietly 
for about fire minutes ; caress him ; feed him an apple. Da 
not make your lessons over an hour long. The third day, by 
taking a little riding-whipv and touching him on the knees, 
using the command " lie down/' he will obey you quickly. 




Gleason's Simple Riding: Bridle. 

In order to make this bridle, take a piece of strap nine feet long, 
place the middle of it over the top of the horse's head, bringing 
it down over the cheeks, pass through the mouth from each 
aide, bring the ends up and use as reins. This is tery simple 
juad will often be found very useful to the farmer. 



— 177 — 




A Geutleiuitu'o Road Horis. 




A Oood General Business Uors«. 



— ITS — 

Question. How would you educate a horse not to be afraid ot 
fire-arms or gunpowder ? 

Answer. Throw him and hold him down, taking a revolver 
loaded with blank cartridges, fire it off in the air. If he make* 
a move to get up make him lie down by pulling the strap ; re 
peat this and make the lesson thirty or forty minutes. The next 
day give him another lesson and in three days you have taught 
your horse so that he will pay no attention to the report of a 
gun. The theory of this is very simple. All that you have got 
to do is to convince a horse that you are his friend and h© is not 
going to be harmed. 

Question. How would you educate a horse not to be afraid of 
buffalo robes, blankets, etc.? 

Answer. Take the Gleason Bridle and put on to his head, 
holding the strap in your right hand ; take the buffalo robe or 
blanket aud hold up to the horse's nostrils ; let him smell of it ; 
at first he will make a desperate attempt to get away from you ; 
as he does, you pull upon the bridle, using the words "stand, 
sir ; ,J then let him smell of them again, and every time that he 
makes an attempt to get away from it tighten upon the bridle, 
and always talk to your horse, using the words « stand still, 
that will not hurt you/' or any other words that you may think 
proper. Repeat these lessons three or four times, throwing the 
robe over his head, making him walk over it, and teach him 
that you are his friend and protector. In a short time he will 
gain confidence in you, and whatever you ask him to do he will 
be willing to perform. 

Question. How would you break a horse from biting in tht 
itall ? 

Answer. Use the Gleason Bridle, having the long strap hang 
over the side of the stall where you can reach it handy, and 
when you go in by the side of the horse, if he makes any attempt 
to kick at you, strike or bite, give him a severe pull upon this 
Btrap, at the same time using the words "take oar*; take care, 
lir." 



— 179 ~ 

This bridle 1b very valuable for teaching horses to follow yon. 
Take hold of the strap with your left hand, staad directly in 
front of your horse, taking a buggy whip in your right hand ; 
you crack the whip and say "come here," at the same time 
pulling the rope. Keep practicing this on the horse for 20 or 




knowing Double Safety Strap on Off Horse in Double Team, Used Jt» 
Driving: a Bolter or Plunger or any- General Mean Horse in Double 
Harness. 

30 minutes ; he will soon understand that when you crack the 
whip that it means for him to come to you. As soon as he 
comes to you pat him or caress him, feed him an apple, and 
after you have given him two or three lessons you can call him 
from almost any distance by the crack of the whip. 



Question. What do you think of clipping horses ? 

Answer. For driving horses who have a thick coat of very 
long hair, I would recommend clipping, for in such cases the 
horse can be much more easily taken care of, aud really, I think 
he is benefited by it. But, in all cases, when you remove na- 
ture's covering you must substitute another, in the way of warm 



— 180 




blankets, &c. When a horse's coat of long, thick hair is allowed 
to remain as nature has calculated it, as a protection from the 
eold, storms and rigors of winter, when taken out and speeded 
the perspiration arising from his body causes his hair to become 
thoroughly saturated, and then when he comes to stand still, it 
becomes cold and consequently chills the horse through, and not 
only makes him very uncomfortable, but he is quite liable to 
take cold and have inflammation of the lungs, "epizootic," &c. 
Whereas, if this coat of thick and long matting of hair, which 
gets so sour when it becomes wet, and, as all horsemen know, 
always retains the dust and excrements of the horse's body^is 
removed and proper care is taken of covering him, his coat can 
be kept looking so much nicer and with less labor, and the 
horse's skin will be in a more healthy condition. The same rule 
will apply to work horses, if they can have the same care. 

The question is often asked me if I approve of clipping the 
fetlock. I answer, Yes, on driving horses only. All team horses 
and heavy draft horses should be left their natural" fetlocks. 
M ter driving your horse in muddy weather, let the mud dry on 



- 181 - 

his feet and legs. Then clean it off with a brnsh. Do not 
wash your horse upon coming in from a muddy drive. By fol- 
lowing my instructions in this particular you will prevent 
scratches, greased heels and many other disagreeable diseases of 
the leg. 

The Celebrated "Gleason Bridle." 

For training and handling horses of all vicious habits, no ropes or 
cords to lacerate the mouth is recommended by me. 




Having up to this time, during my professional career, used ropes 
in lieu of straps, for my Bonaparte and Eureka bridles, I now 



*~ 183 ~* 

abandon the rope entirely on many accounts and have made and patent 
ed a bridle constructed of leather and iron rings of which the preced- 
ing engraving is an exact illustration, and is described as follows : 

A A Is a mouth piece or loop for the lower jaw of the horse to pass 
through, leaving upper part of loop in horse's mouth and lower part under 
his jaw. The part of loop in the mouth is round to guard against a 
possibility of lacerating the tongue or mouth of the horse. 

B B is an iron ring, one inch in diameter, each side of the mouth, sewed 
into loop A A. 

C C is a strap three feet long, that passes directly over the head close to 
the ears, with a buckle so as to take it up or let it out to suit the horse's 
head you are going to handle. 

D D is. % solid, heavy iron ring, one and one-half inches in (tmmeter, 
sewed on strongly to strap C C, and is used for strap E E to pas? hirough. 

E E is a half-inch strap of leather, fifteen feet long, one end o -vhich is 
sewed into ring B B on the offside of the horse's head. This st: ap is then 
passed over his neck to his withers, is then brought down through ring 
B B, on near side, then up through ring D D, then brought down through 
ring B B.; the long end of strap E E is held in the right hand, this 
gives a man power to control a vicious horse who is afraid of buffalo 
robes and umbrellas, to lead a horse up to steam or anything he is afraid 
of, also to control or handle any vicious horse, as the bearing comes 
directly on the horse's neck by the strap E E and pressure upon the braio 
by the strap C C. The entire bridle consists of three pieces. 




Bridie Displayed upoja the Morse's fltead aatd Heady for Operation 



-183- 

This bridle will be known as the " Gleason Bridle/' and used by 
him in handling all wild and vicious horses. 

When you pull upon the long strap, you will find the horse will 
quickly follow you, and can he made to stop at the word " whoa ! " of 
ohey any command you may give him, and there is no danger of making 
bis mouth sore. 




Several Forms of Heine Bridle with Strap run down through King 

on Mouthpiece. 

When used as in engraving above, is for training horses to b« 
familiar with buffalo robes, umbrellas, drums, paper, steam and all 
other objects. In presenting an umbrella to your horse, take it in 
your left hand and the long strap in your right hand, letting the 
horse emell of tha umbrella, then opening it and letting him look 

13 



— 184- 

into ^, theniiolding it over his head, then raising it and lowering It^ 
and alternately doing this until he is used to it. Then you can open 
and shut it without his making any move or seeming to notice it, and 
by being thorough in handling him with all objects he is afraid of, 
he will soon become familiar with them all. 

The owner of one of these books has the right to have manufao 
fcured one of these bridles for his own use, but not the right to sell 
or manufacture for sale, as they will be furnished to any person is 
want of one upon an order sent to my headquarters. 




l'jrof. O. It. Gleason's Wonderful Eureka Bridle. 



To make this bridle, take a small piece of rope ten feei loftg, tie it 
ronnd the animal's neck in a slip knot, then bring the rope down 
through his mouth on the off side, then pass the rope back through 
the cord that you have tied around the horse's neck. Now pull down 
npon the rope snugly, then pass rope over his head, close to his ears, 
then bring rope down on the off side of his face through his mouth, 
then pass the rope back and tie into the rope around his neck. This 
bridle is to be used to make a horse stand to be shod, harnessed, sad- 
dled, clipped, sore eyes treated, sore back treated; it is .also used to 
make horses familiar with buffalo robes, umbrellas, paper, blankets 



-185- 

To accomplish this work and expedite matters, first let him smell of 
the object, then present them to him in an/ way you may choose, 
toing careful not to inflict pain. 




Fl*f. O. B. Gleason's Famoni Bonaparte Bridle used by Hlun sluc« 187M. 



The above engraving shows the bridle in backward actions for 
teaching a horse to back and stop at word of command. This is a 
cord fifteen feet in length, with a stationary loop tied at one end just 
large enough to slip over the horse's lower jaw. Put it on the horse's 
lower jaw ; bring it over the middle of the neck from the off side ; 
pass downward through the loop on near side ; bring up the lowe* 
eorner of cheek-bone on near side ; hold there with right thumb, 
pass the slack through mouth from near side ; bring over neck just 
behind ears from off side ; then through loop held by thumb. Don't 
Iasten. Hold the long end in your right h^ nd and 'take it back, and 
you then have a most powerful bridle wliioh will effectually stop any 
horse, no matter how unruly or vicious, by merely giving it a sharp 
jerk, and saying "take care" when the horse tries to kick. To 
make a horse come to you at word, stand off eight feet with this 
«ord in your hand, and say " come here," at the same time giving 



— 186 — 

the cord a strong pull, which you will find will draw ihe animal 
very quickly. Step to the other side of the horse and repeat again 
and again for about ten minutes. Every time he obeys, caress him, 
and in a very short time you will have a horse that will watch you 
as closely and follow you as well as your dog. This bridle can be 
also used for animals afraid of bicycles, etc., and liable to run away. 
This bridle may also be used to break a horse afraid of. umbrellas or 
buffalo robes, as follows : Place on the horse the bridle as seen in en- 
graving. Present the umbrella or bufralo robe, allowing him to 
smell of it; thsn ri.b it across his nose and head; open it gently, ai 
the same time allow him to smell of it several times ; work gently 
till he becomes reconciled to it, and in a few lessons you will be able 
to use the umbrella in any place around him. 




Tills Shows the Forward Action of Gleason's Bonaparte Bridle* 



To be used as represented in above illustration when teaching ft 
horse to come to you quickly. Take the cord in the left hand and 
your whip in the right hand, standing directly in front of the ani- 
mal. Now pull the cord and strike him lightly with the whip 
around the hind legs, and say " come here," and when he obeys yow 
command pat him gently on the neck, and repeat this as often as i* 



-187- 

necessary, to'make him thoroughly understand what you want. I want 
it distinctly understood, that I don't approve of the use of ropes in 
handling horses, and have only mentioned them in some of my de- 
scriptions of how to handle them for the convenience of the farmer, 
when they have no other opportunity of getting the straps which 
are always preferred. (See engraving of my new leather bridle.) 




The "O.K. Cileason Break Harness." Patent Applied For, 



The Gleason Break Harness in Parts. 

PATENT APPLIED FOR. 




Breeching and Back Strap. 



Patent Bridle and Bit. 




Selly and Hold-back Strap*. 




Breast Collar. 



— 189 — 

In describing the Break Harness, I will say it is so constructed that 
it can be put on in parts or taken off in parts. It can be used with 
back-strap and crupper, taken off also with breeching. The safety 
rope can also be applied when using this harness without interfering 
in the least with each other. The reader can see by the illustration on 
page 187 tha'u it is put together with snaps. Any of my readers want- 
ing such harness I w 11 furnish them with one set complete for $25. Or 
to any person owning one of my books I will grant the right for them 
to get one made for his own use, but not to sell or cause to be sold. 




The above engraving is a fac simile of my famous " Break Wagon," 
by which the reader will readily see the fore wheels can turn right 
under the seat, there being no reach to obstruct their passage, per- 
mitting me to make very short turns, which is necessary, as my ex- 
, hibitions are given upon theatrical stages often, and want of room 
in such cases caused me to originate the above wagon. It ia so 
constructed that it can be taken apart and packed in trunks and thus 
transported over the country. It is very complete in all its points, 
and I have applied for a patent on it. I have handled over two 
thousand head of vicious horses with it, and it is still sound. It cost 
me $500 dollars to get it manufactured. 

Any of my readers wanting such a wagon can obtain it through me. 



<-u*o=« 




The above engraving illustrates the use of my single foot-^rip, 
which, the reader will readily see,£ive3 the driver a double Durchasa 



— 191 — 

on tlie horsed foot and is quickly explained. The end being snapped 
into large iron ring, which is sewed strongly to the surcingle under 
the horse's belly, passed through the ring attached to strap at th3 
fetlock joint, and back through the ring in surcingle. Taking end of 
strap in left hand, you can break a horse of the following habits : from 
rearing in the air, bolting off sideways, teach hisr the word "whoa»" 
etc., eto. 




The above engraving illustrates the use of my guy line, uged for 
starting balky horses and teaching colts to turn to the right or left, 
A man stands directly in front or to the right or left, as the case 
may be, and is controlled wholly by the driver, who sits in the wagon 
and whose commands he must listen to and strictly obey, so that 
the working of both men may be ia unison, and by giving the horse 



— 108- 

•horfc lessons, not more than an hour's length per day for Bay two 01 
three days, the horse will become thoroughly broke and subdued. 
It will also be found very useful in handling a horse who is stubborn 
fcnd wants to go on one street while you desire to go another. 




— 193 — 

The engraving opposite illustrates the manner of educating a ooll 
to pull in the harness by taking hold of the traces in the left hand and 
pulling gently back on them while he moves forward, getting him 
used to the pressure of the collar on his breast. After which he may be 
hitched to a two-wheeled vehicle, and taking care in giving the first 
lessons to select some level ground for the work, and make no false 
motions, never lie to him or deceive him. I condemn all bitting 
harness. It is certainly cruelty to animals to use them. It is a 
mistaken idea of any man to entertain to presume he can change 
the form or frame of a horse that was made by Dame Nature's own 
handiwork. 




m 



The above engraving illustrates a soldier shooting off his gun over 
the horse's back, and when giving the horse his first lesson in thin 
part of his education, use the Gleason Bridle, and you always have 
your horse under control, for when he steps or moves while you are 
discharging your "weapon, by simply tightening up on the rope or 
strap and commanding him to stand, he will become accustomed to 
it, so that he will soon pay no attention to the report. Give him 
two lessons a day for one week, and you will soon have an animal 
that you can discharge a cannon over his back and he will take no 
notice of it. 



-104- 




* The above engraving illustrates the manner of branding a hora% 
showing where the brand should be placed, and which should be 
regulated by a law of the United States. Parties owning ranches 
where branding is necessary, should brand the horse on the left hind 
foot, and that brand should be registered. I recommend that the 
United States Government adopt this method in branding its horses. 



Question. How would you handle a wild mustang ? 

Answer. In handling a wild mustang or any wild vicious horse, 
many times they are so dangerous that it is impossible to approach 
them with safety. • I will lay down <* rule to handle a wild and vicious 
mustang or western bronco. Take a half-inch rope fifty feet long, 
make a slip noose in one end of it, lay this on the ground, making a 
large loop about three and one-half feet across it, then lead the 
bronco into it, his front feet standing in the loop, as seen in the 
above engraving. The moment that he gets into the rope pull 
the rope, which will bring his two front limbs together; you 
pull to the left and the man that has hold of the bronco or 
mustang pull to the right; you will at once bring him to his 
back, as seen in the following engraving. Now you can take the 
mustang and put on my double safety strap and the driving bridle 
laid handle him the same as I have laid dow» for handling anj 



-193 — 

vicious animal, kickers or runaways. In working KLtstkngs, let mt 
say that you must work them slow and easy ; their lessons should 
aot be over thirty minutes' long. Repeat them twice a day and in 
one week the mustang is ready to drive. In working this animal al- 
ways use a great deal of judgment and plenty of patience ; never 




Bfe* JL 



A^-.»„.^,.,.f „ "" , ' * ~m* .-^J7£rr- 



show your temper ; whatever they do is not because they are vicious, 
but because they are afraid that you are going to hurt them, and they 
are of a wild nature. They can be easily brought under control by 
kind and gentle treatment 



The following cut is to illustrate to the reader the position of man 
and horse, with the animal's fore feet in the lariat loop ; you should 
now pull the rope quickly, and you should step to the right, while 
your assistant, who is holding the halter strap, steps to the left, and 



IQO -« » 




the engraving below will show the horse as thrown. The man who 
holds the h Jeer strap quickly passes down the horse's back to his 
hips and pulls the horse's head to his shoulder, thereby preventing 




hlm from getting up. Now put on your driving bridle, surcingle 
and safety strap. Commence the training by letting him get up and 
handling him the same as a runaway, kicker or colt. 

Will You Answer these Questions? 

Can a cribbing horse be cured ? No. 

Can ringbones be cured ? No. 

Can spavins be cured ? Not after they have become seated. 

Can heaves be cured ? No. 

Can shoe boils be cured? No. 

Can blindness be cured ? No, 

Can nervicular lameness be cured ? Not after long standing. 

Can splints be cured ? No. 

Do you approve of co f ti«n powder f Yes, if made fresh every 
ipring from receipts giv n L my boc _z. Co rN^on powders that lid 
in stores for five or ten ye«rs aro L-t very ya:u?he. The strength 
of the medicine must be gone. I would ad\*so all horse owners not 
to waste their money in buying such trash. 

Can contracted feet be cured ? No. 

Can sprung knees be cured ? No* 

Can curb be cured ? No. 

Can bog spavin be cured ? No. 

Can a meaner be cured ? No. 

Can a corn from long standing be cured ? No. 

Question* How would you break a yoke of steers and a kicking 
oow? 

Answer. First get your steer into a room or small yard, so that 
fee can not run from you ; then approach him slowly, and if he runa 



— 198- 

do not be in a hnrry, but wait until he gets to the end of the room 
or yard ; then approach him slowly, as before. A steer may run 
from you in this way several times ; but do not try and stop him 
with your whip, or force him to think that he will be at all injured, 
until he will stand and suffer you to approach him. As soon as this 
is accomplished gently tie a rope around his body near the shoulders, 
rather loosely. Then take another strap or rope, and gently fasten 
one end to the near fore foot ; then pass the other end over the rope 
or surcingle, beneath the body. This rope should be sufficiently 
long to allow him to run to the end of the yard without your moving, 
at the same time you holding the rope sufficiently firm '. compel 
him to move on three legs. Then approach him again quietly, and 
go continue until he will allow you to approach and handle him aa 
you please. Now take a short hold of the strap with your left hand, 
your whip in the right, which pass over his shoulders, *.nd quietly 
touch him on the off-side of the head, at the same time saying, 
" haw," and continue* this until he moves his head a little toward 
you. They understand what you require of them while yoked to* 
gether. 

If your steers have learned to run away from you, which is a com- 
mon result of the ordinary method of training, put on the rope and 
ptrap to the foot. If hitched to a wagon or sled, let your man 
hold the foot-strap, which runs back between the steers, and the 
moment they attempt to run away he pulls up their feet, while you 
whip them over the head, which will stop them immediately and in 
a-ahort time break up the habit. 

Kicking Cows. 

It is natural for the cow to stand while being milked, consequently 
the heifer knows nothing about kicking until hart or frightened 
into it. The lesson in regard to heifers is therefore perfectly plain. 
, Be careful and not hurt or frighten them. If by accident you should, 
and they kick, do not punish them for it. Kindness and gentle 
handling is the only remedy. If your cow kicks, let yaur reasoning 
for the cause be based upon the principle that she never kicked un- 
til she was injured, and the remedy will at once sugge * itself. No 
aow was ever broken of kicking by striking with the etool or othej 



— 109 — 

weapon. This practice only puts the cow on her guard, and as you 
come near her with the stool she uses nature's defense and kicks. 
Handle her gently. If she walks off or kicks, pay no attention to it» 
using no loud words or blows. If her teats are sore, she is quite lia- 
ble to do either ; and you must have patience till they are healed. 
In our experience we have never found a confirmed kicker in a yard 
where kindness was a characteristic of the family who handled the 
dairy. On the contrary, we have found plenty of them where 
Quarreling, loud words, and general bad temper prevailed. 

Ladies' Equestrian Horsemanship. 

The saddlery for the use of the ladies is similar in principle to 
that devoted to gentlemen's riding, with the exception that the bits 
and reins of the bridle are lighter and more ornamental and the 
saddle furnished with crutches for side riding; the reins are nar- 
rower than those used by the gentlemen, but otherwise the same. 
The saddle should be carefully fitted to the horse and there should 
always be a third crutch, the use of which will hereafter be explained. 
There is an extra leather girth, which keeps the flaps of the saddle 
in their places. The stirrup may be either like a man's, with a lining 
of leather or velvet, or it may be a slipper, which is safer and also 
easier to the foot. The lady's whip is a light affair, but as her horse 
ought seldom to require punishment, it is carried more to threaten 
than to give punishment. A spur may be added for a lady's use; it 
is sometimes needful for the purpose of giving a stimulus at the 
right moment. If used, it is buckled on to the boot, and a small 
opening is made in the habit with a string attached to the inside, 
which is then tied around the ankle, and thus keeps the spur always 
projecting beyond the folds of the habit. A nose martingale is 
generally added for ornament; but no horse which throws his head 
up is fit for ladies' use. The lady's horse ought to be a most perfect 
goer, instead of being, as it often is, a stupid brute, fit only for a dray. 

Many men think that any horse gifted with a neat outline will 
carry a lady; but it is a great mistake; and if the ladies them- 
selves had the choice of horses they would soon decide to the 
contrary. The only thing in their favor, in choosing a lady's horse, 

14 



n that the weight to be carried is generally light, anc! therefor* 
» horse calculated to carry them is seldom fit to mount a man, 
because the weight of the male sex is generally so much above 
that of an equestrian lady. Few of this sex who ride are above 
one hundred and thirty pounds, and most are below that weight. 
But in point of soundness, actiop, mouth and temper, the lady's 
horse should be unimpeachable. A gentleman's horse may be 
good yet wholly unable to canter and so formed that he cannot 
be taught ; he, therefore, is unsuited to a lady ; but, on the 
other hand, every lady's horse should do all his paces well. 
Many ladies, it is true, never trot ; but they should not be fur- 
nished with the excuse that they cannot because their horses 
will not. In size, the lady's horse should be about fifteen hands 
or from fourteen and a half to fifteen and a half ; less than this 
allows the habit to trail in the dirt, and more, makes the horse 
too lofty and unwieldy for a lady's use. In breaking a lady's 
horse, if he i3 of good temper and fine mouth, little need be 
done to make him canter easily, and with the right leg foremost. 
This is necessary, because the other log is uncomfortable to the 
rider from her side position on the saddle. The breaker, there- 
fore, should adopt the means elsewhere described, and persevere 
until the horse is quite accustomed to the pace, and habitually 
starts off with the right leg. He should also bend him thor- 
oughly, so as to make him canter well on his hind legs and not 
with the disturbed action which one so often sees. The curb 
must be used for this purpose, but without bearing too strongly 
upon it. The horse must be brought to his pace by fine hand- 
ling rather than by force, and by occasional pressure, which he 
will yield to and play with if allowed, rather than by a dead pull. 
In this way, by taking advantage of every inch yielded, and yet 
not going too far, the head is gradually brought in and the hind 
legs as gradually are thrust forward, so as instinctively to steady 
the mouth and prevent the pressure which is feared. When 
this " sitting on the haunches" is accomplished, a horse cloth 
may be strapped on the near side of the saddle to accustom him 
to the flapping of the habit ; but I have always found in an ordi- 
nary good tempered horse, that, if the paces and mouth were all 
perfect, the habit is sure to be borne. 

It is a kind of excuse which gentlemen are tot/ apt to makt 
that their horses have never carried a lady ; but if they carry • 



— Sot *• 

gentleman quietly they will always carry a lady in the same 
style, though they may not perhaps be suitable to her seat or 
hand. The directions for holding the reins, and for their use, 
elsewhere given, apply equally well to ladies, the only difference 
being that the knee prevents the hand being lowered to the 
pommel of the saddle. This is one reason why the neck requires 
to be more bent foi the gentleman's use, because, if it is straight, 
or at all ewe-necked, the hands being high raise the head into 
the air and make the horse more of a "star-gazer" than ha 
otherwise would be. Many ladies hold the reins as in driving. 
It is in some respects better, because it allows the hand to be 
lower than the gentleman's mode, and the ends of the reins fall 
better over the habit. In mounting, the horse is held steadily, 
as for a gentleman's use, taking care to keep him well up to the 
place where the lady stands, from which he is very apt to slide 
away. The gentleman assistant then places his right hand on 
his tight knee, or a little below it, and receives the lady's left 
foot. Previously to this she should have taken the rein in her right 
hand, which is placed on the middle crutch, then, with her left 
hand on the gentleman's shoulder and her foot in his hand, she 
makes a spring from the ground and immediately stiffens her 
left leg, using his. hand, steadied by his knee, as a second foun- 
dation for a spring, and then she is easily lifted to her seat by 
the hand following, and finishing her spring with what little 
force is required. As she rises the hand still keeps hold of the 
crutch, which throws the body sideways on the saddle, and then 
ihe lifts her right knee over the middle crutch. After this she 
lifts herself up from the saddle, and the gentleman draws her 
habit from under her until smooth, he then places her left foot 
in the stirrup, including with it a fold of her habit, and she is 
firmly seated, and should take her reins and use them as directed 
for the gentleman. The great mistake which is constantly mad* 
in mounting is in the use of the lady's knee, which should b« 
carefully straightened the moment it can be effected, for if kept 
bent it requires a great power to lift a lady into the saddle, 
whereas, with a good spring and a straight knee, she ought to 
weigh but a few pounds in the hand. The lady's seat is very 
commonly supposed to be a weak one, and to depend entirely 
npon balance ; but this is the greatest possible mistake, and 
there can be no doubt, from what ia seen in private as well m m 



-209- 

ihe circus, that it requires as great an effort of the horse to dis» 
lodge a good female rider as to produce the same effect upon a 
gentleman. Even with the old single crutch there was a good 
hold with the leg, hut now that the third is added, the grip is 
really a firm one. When this is not used the crutch is laid hold 
of by the right leg and pinched between the calf of the leg and 
the thigh, so as to afford a firm and steady hold for the whole 
body, especially when aided by the stirrups. But this latter 
eupport merely preserves the balance, and is useful also in 
trotting. It does not at all give a firm, steady seat, though it 
adds to one already obtained by the knee. When two crutches 
are used, the leg is brought back so far as to grasp the crutch as 
before, but between the two knees the two crutches are firmly 
laid hold of, the upper one being under the right knee and the 
lower one above the left. The right knee hooked over the 
crutch keeps the body from slipping backwards, while the left 
keeps it from a forward motion, and thus the proper position is 
maintained. In all cases the right foot should be kept back and 
the point of the toe should scarcely be visible. These points 
should be carefully kept in view by all lady riders, and they 
should learn as soon as possible to steady themselves by the 
grasp of the crutches without reference to the stirrup-iron. In 
epite of her side seat, the body should be square to the front, 
with the elbow easily bent and preserved in its propper position 
by the same precaution. The whip is generally held in the right 
hand, with the lash pointing forward and towards the left, and 
by this position it may be used on any part of the horse's body 
by reaching over to the left and cutting before or behind the 
saddle, or, with great ease, on the right side. Its use may, there- 
fore, in all cases be substituted for the pressure of the leg in the 
description of the modes of effecting the change of leg, turning 
to the left or right, or leading with either leg. With this substi- 
tution, and with the caution against all violent attempts at 
coercion, which are better carried out by the fine hand and 
delicate tact of the lady, all the feats which man can perform 
may well be imitated by her. In dismounting, the horse ia 
brought to a dead stop, and his head held by an assistant. The 
lady then turns her knee back again from the position between 
%he outside crutch, takes her foot out of the stirrup, and sits 
completely sideways* She then puts her left hand on tiw 



— 803 — 



nmtteman'. shoulder, who place, hi. right arm around h« 
waist and lightly assist, her to the ground. 

My Idea as to the Proper Methods to Pursue In Reg- 
ulating and Managing a Government Farm. 

The United States Government owns ^'^J 10 !?""* *!! 
thousand mules, the great majority of wh.ch are m the Weston he 
frontier. This stook is renewed each year at a cost of *»»****« 
dollars. They buy hundreds of horses every year, of ^ these he 
greater part are "broncos," or Western bred horses. These ho se. 
cost the government an average of one hundred and exghteen dollar. 
«ch and are only saddle broken, which means that toy have been 
ridden two or pos'eibly three times each by a "bronco-boste, •. ' Ttm 
M me horses can be bought at an average pr.ce of forty-five dollar. 

^What'tog'overnment needs, and badly needs, is a government 
form. This should be an immense ranch, couvemently ocated on 
Zfrontier, where there would be an extensive range, terfle so.l and 
aTa point where it would be protected from the extremes of heat 
and S It should be made to effect a three-fold purpose 1. The 
taeeding of horses adapted to the uses of the army 2 The torn- 
LTaod education of such horses. 3. To provide a hosp.tal and re- 
cuperating station for government horses. 
T It is an unquestioned fact that the horses yearly bought for 
the army are poorly suited to its needs, ^ey are scrubbed 
crosses mostly from heavy draft stallions upon the light Ind an 
pony andwhae the produ L are good sized horses, they are laekmg 
in manv of the essential qualities of a war horse. 

The government needs three distinct styles of horses, and these .t 
cannot obtain in any other way than by breeding them. We want a 
: ahytrse-deet! nervy, powerful. The English hunter .prob- 
ably the best type of horse for this purpose. We wan. arbUery 
horses-horses that can hurry the heavy guns forward m battle. 
Thev should be short-limbed and close-jointed, combmed w.th 
length and endurance-sncb horses as we try to buy for our fire 
endues We want short-legged, powerful animals, for heavy hauhng. 



— 2U* — 

As private citizens we have learned to some trifling extent the niv 
oessity of breeding horses for special purposes. Trotters don't emi- 
nate from dung-hills, nor do running horses spring up unsought 
from the farm or plain. These horses are bred for the especial pur- 
pose of getting speed out of them, and men spend their life in the 
selection and breeding of horses for speed. The government, how- 
ever, which pre-eminently needs the best of horses, horses that it 
cannot buy from horse breeders, as such horses are not raised here, 
is content with scrubs from the West and cart horses from the Mid- 
dle States. 

2. There is no training school for government horses. Private 
citizens who are best informed send their horses to professional horse 
trainers, that they may have animals able and willing to carry out 
their every wish. The government allows each soldier to train his 
own horse by the mere power of force of habit. These soldiers 
know little or nothing about a horse, and the proper way to handle 
him, in order to get the most out of him, and often valuable horses 
are spoiled, or at best but poorly broken to the service for which 
they are intended. Soldiers are trained and educated by men who 
have learned the proper method of educating a soldier, but horses 
upon whose trustworthiness and ability success largely depends, 
are allowed to go into engagements with the half training that 
a soldier can give them. 

On this government farm there should be built a large training 
academy, in charge of a thorough horseman, and every horse that 
leaves the farm for active service should have been trained and edu- 
cated by this horseman in all respects and as thoroughly as the sol- 
dier who is to ride him in battle. 

Even if the government should not breed its own horses, the 
educating school is not only a very valuable adjunct to the army, 
but would prove a profitable investment. As I have already said, 
green broncos can be bought at almost one-third what the govern- 
ment pays for them " saddle broken," and such horses could be 
broken, trained and educated in this training academy at the same 
cost or but a trifle more, that they could be educated for war after 
being saddle-broken — this being an immense saving to the govern- 
ment every year. 

8. When a horse is out of condition and is condemned or the in- 



-205 — 

ipector, the gorernment sells it ah public sale, and in this mannef 
has sold thousands of really valuable animals that a short rest and 
proper treatment would have rendered as good for service as ever. 

I advocate the establishment on a government farm of a horse hos- 
pital, where horses that are condemned can be sent, properly doc- 
tored and handled and allowed to recuperate their strength and 
health. The government has thrown away thousands and thousands 
of dollars by having no such infirmary in the past, and I feel assured 
that it will be simply a question of a short time till this scheme ap- 
proves itself to Congress and the people. 

I do not advocate that this government farm should be simply a 
great Western ranch, but a farm in every sense of the word. Here 
all the grain and food used on the place should be raised. It should 
be under the management of a horseman of known and recognized 
ability, and the hospital should be in charge of the best veternariani 
that the country affords. 

Not only would this farm enable Uncle Samuel to give to his 
soldiers the best of saddle horses, the best of artillery animals and 
to his teamsters strong powerful brutes, but it would be of incalcula- 
ble benefit to the people at large. The farmers throughout the land 
have not yet learned the necessity of breeding their horses with care. 
"A colt's a colt" is still the saying, and to pay out a good price for a 
stallion fee, is considered in many sections as the height of folly.. 
After a few years of successful operation the surplus from this farm 
could, if deemed advisable, be sold to the farmers at a reasonable 
profit to the government, but still at prices which would place the 
best of animals at the service of farmers, and so do a great deal 
towards raising the standard of our horses. 

I believe that within a very short time Congress will look into 
the merits of this plan and adopt it, at least in its leading particu- 
lars. 

Shipping Horses. 

We need a law relating to the shipment of horses in cars. It is 
the shameful practice of nearly all horse shippers to crowd and jam 
into one car as many horses as they possibly can. Here they stand 
paoked in like sardines in a bos, compelled to rids for hundreds of 



— 006 — 

toiles with no chance to rest themselves, crowding and pushing till 
ihey are all in a sweat and then allowed to cool off by the windf 
striking them through the unprotected sides of the car, and without 
food or water. 

Railroad companies should be compelled by law to provide suita- 
ble cars for the shipment of horses. These cars should be built so 
as to protect the horses from the wind, yet thoroughly ventilated. 
Bach horse should have room to rest himself and a place for water 
and feed. 

One reason why most horses that are shipped are in bad condition 
for a long time, becoming acclimated, horsemen say, is that they 
catch cold and get themselves out of condition in the transit. 

Let Congress look into this matter, order proper modes of ship* 
ping horses, and we will see a marked decrease in disease! among 
horses. 

Special to the Farmer. 

The necessity for improvement in farm stock to meet the exigen- 
cies of close times, of which considerable has been said of late, ia 
one which does not end with cattle, sheep and swine, but includes 
the horse stock as well. Perhaps the improvement in these other 
descriptions of stock is of more importance |)ecause of their greater 
numbers, but a great deal can be gained by giving more attention to 
the character of the horse produced and maintained on the farm. 
Horses cannot be dispensed with on the farm, and no one makes the 
attempt, as the major part of the farm work is performed with their 
help, but the cost of their keep is a heavy burden. Many farmers do 
not realize this, because the food they consume i8 produced upon the 
farm ; but inasmuch as if not consumed by them this food could be 
Bold, or something saleable raised in its stead. The support of the 
horse stock is a very material item of farm expense. On a very 
large proportion of farms, if not upon the majority, the class of horses 
maintained is such that practically no return is secured from them 
beyond the labor they perform. This is a good deal, of course, but 
it is not enough, for with a better grade of foundation stock and 
moye care in the selection of stallions, the production of horses can 
be made to contribute very handsomely to farm revenues without 



— 207 ~ 

going further in the direction of breeding than the nsnal fores of 
farm teams will justify. There is a great demand in this country 
for good horses, and it is so diversified in its character and so wide in 
its extent, that practically it can never be overdone. The farmer 
need not be restricted to any one type of horse, and if he has any 
preferences in the matter they may safely be consulted, since every 
really good horse finds ready sale. But whatever the type selected 
the farmer should always breed for stoutness and stamina, with a fair 
measure of style and a movement and disposition suited to the pur- 
pose for which the animal is to be ultimately devoted. And the 
effort should constantly be made to produce animals for some par- 
ticular pui pose, and stallions patronized with the power to produce 
iiust the kind of a horse the farmer desires, avoiding the nondescripts 
at the " Cross Eoads" who throw colts too slow to trot, too light to 
pull, and without style and character for anything else. We know 
©f many farmers -so negligent in this matter as to maintain teams of 
geldings for farm work. If a farmer wishes and can afford a driving 
team in which his personal pleasure is a fair compensation for their 
keep, he has as good a right to such horses as anybody; but as for 
horses maintained simply for farm purposes, we have often thought 
that a farmer had full as much use for a plug hat in the harvest 
field as for a team of geldings at the reaper. 

It occurred to me that a few remarks to the farmers of America 
would be well received. 

As regards a very large proportion of the farmers of this country, 
their farms are so conveniently located that they are enabled to haul 
to market the products of their farm in the shape of hay, grain, etc., 
which is done to a great extent. Having been giving daily exhibi- 
tions for fifteen years, I have noticed in my travels the great number 
of farms that were badly run down, the soil fast wearing out, build- 
ings neglected, etc. On inquiry I found that many were heavily 
mortgaged, and the parties working the land barely making a living ; 
also for years that nearly all the produce from these farms had been 
sold and consumed away from the farms, and scarcely anything re- 
turned to the land in shape of manure or fertilizers, which all land 
in this country must have in order to keep it productive. 

There could of course be but one end to such management as this, 
the farm would year after year produce less, until it would even- 



- 203 - 

hially proTe worthless, and its owner made poorer and poorer. Is 
toy opinion such farms can be brought back to their former produc- 
tiveness by gradually returning to the soil what has been taken from 
it in the shape of manure and fertilizers. This will take time, and 
must of necessity be done slowly by the farmer, that is, year by year, 
as fast as they are able. I then revolved in my mind that that would 
be the most practical way of accomplishing this result One way to 
do it is by a considerable expenditure of money in buying manures, 
etc., but as naturally would be the case the parties owning farms in 
such condition are generally not able to afford such an outlay. 
Another way, and it strikes me as the best way, is to raise and keep 
6tock on the farms, so as to consume the hay, grain, etc., that they 
may raise, and thus have manure to put back on your land. Thts 
followed up, year by year, your land will begin to increase in pro- 
ductiveness, gradually more stock can be kept, and the farms will in 
a few years become restored to their former usefulness. Feed the 
products of your farm to your stock and then realize from sales of 
your stock. You will realize more in this way and with less labor to 
yourselves and families, and will be adding to the value of your 
farms, instead of depreciating them. 

The next question that comes up will be what kind of stock will 
be the most profitable to raise, taking all things into consideration, 
to accomplish this result, which must be accomplished and cannot 
be commenced too soon, or the farmers of the country will (many of 
them) soon be in a condition that they cannot make a living off their 
farms. 

My mind naturally reverts to the Blue Grass region of Kentucky, 
where the farms are used almost entirely for raising stock, but very 
little land being cultivated aside from the purpose of raising grain 
for their stock. Their lands are very rich and strong, their locality 
has become celebrated as a stock region, and every day their hotels 
are rilled with buyers from different parts of the world, taking their 
stock away and leaving their money in return. Kentucky has be- 
come mainly celebrated for its fine horBes, and they are in demand 
from all over the world. Many states can do as well as Kentucky, 
and in a few years can make a good start in raising horses, and it 
strikes me that it would be a move in the right direction, and should 
be followed up by every farmer. Good Worses are always desirable 



-209 — 

and saleable and at a good paying price. Many of our farmers do 
keep stock and they can tell you of its value in keening up their 
farms. Large dairies are in existence, Borne producing butter, some 
hauling to the cheese factory and others sending their milk to the 
cities. The making of butter makes a great deal of work on the farm, 
viz.: care of cows, milking them, then the labor about the house 
making the butter, caring for cans, etc. Now, every farmer who will 
take the trouble to figure up the cost of this labor at its market 
value must know that there is no money in making butter at present 
prices. Then look set the state of the case, when milk is taken to 
the factory to be made into cheese. Figure up the cost of keeping a 
cow one year, your time in caring for cows, milking, hauling to fac- 
tory, wear and tear of horses, wagons, etc., expense of cans, interest 
on investment, and tell me if a gross return of twenty -five dollars to 
thirty dollars per cow on an average will pay you for all this labor, 
etc. Now, as regards raising horses, which it seems to me will pay 
the farmer better than any other kind of stock raising, you are 
Wonderfully favored in having access to the very best stallions that 
can be found anywhere in the broad land, stallions of the very best 
quality, the highest type and the very best blojpd lines, whether for 
the draft, the farm, the coach, road or track purposes. 

A colt can be raised to three years of age at about the same price 
as a steer, the only extra expense in doing so being the service price 
of a stallion, and this is more than covered by the extra price they 
will sell for, even at common prices bringing three to five times the 
value of the steer. Where good mares are bred, the produce will sell 
for twice or three times the common price, which then makes it very 
profitable. The brood mare can be used carefully during pregnancy, 
so that she will earn her keeping. The foal at three years old can 
be broken to light work about the farm and will earn his living until 
sold. Many will be sold from weaning time up. If a steer can be 
raised in this country and sold at from $50 to $60, how much more 
profit is there in raising a foal that at tne same age will bring 
$150 to $500, and when an extra good one is raised, the price 
will run up into the thousands. A farmer in my county with whom 
I am acquainted breeds one mare every year to one or tne best stal- 
lions, and he assures me that this one mare is worth more money 
than the gross income of his whole farm of one hundred acre& 



-210- 

Breed as good a mare as you can afford to own; breed to as good a 
stallion as you feel that you can afford to use, but always keep in 
view the general useful qualities of the horse for any work, covering 
good size, fifteen and one-half to sixteen and one-half hands; good, 
strong bone, heavily muscled; good disposition, good appearance, 
with soundness of parts and well-gaited and high breeding, and you 
will not go astray. Above all, avoid the use of cheap, low-bred, 
country stallions standing at a low fee and dear at that; also horses 
of unfashionable colors, and those that entail upon their stock white 
faces and three or four white feet. Such stock is not popular, and 
if buyers can be got to buy them it will be at a reduced price. A 
colt from a high-bred horse can be raised as cheaply as that from a 
low-bred one, but when you come to sell him, the one by the high- 
bred horse will sell for two or three times as much. Buyers appre- 
ciate the value of good blood and will pay more for it, because their 
experience has taught them that it is worth more and will sell more 
rapidly. Feed your colts liberally and they will well repay you for 
your liberality by making better horses at three and four years of 
age than they would if half fed at six years old. 

I have presented these thoughts to you as I hastily jotted them 
down, but I have probably said enough to call your attention to the 
matter so that you can fully consider it. 

What Errors in Feeding Will Do, and How to Prevent 
Diseases of the Digestive Organs. 

With very rare exceptions, diseases of the digestive organs are 
results of errors in feeding, and all observations point to the conclu- 
sion that in the horse the intestines are more liable to suffer from dis- 
ease than the stomach. The stomach of a horse is a simple organ, small 
in comparison to the size of the animal and in contrast with the vol- 
ume of the intestines. It is but slightly called into action during 
the digestive process, and, provided the food be properly masticated 
and incorporated with the salivary secretions, it is arrested for a 
short time only in the stomach, but is passed onward into the intes- 
tinal canal, where the process of digestion is completed. On this 
account the intestines are more liable to disease. It is also a remark- 



— 211- 

sble fact that easily digested food, if given over abundantly, is apt 
to derange the small intestines; whereas food containing much 
woody fibre, such as over-ripe hay, coarse straw, etc., accumulates in 
the large intestines and there causes derangement, inflammation and 
even paralysis of the intestinal muscular tissue. It is also a fact 
worthy of notice, that if food be given artificially prepared, by boil- 
ing or steaming, it is retained in the stomach itself, and if given in 
too large quantities causes distension, inflammation, paralysis and 
even rupture. This is accounted for by the circumstance that food 
imperfectly prepared for intestinal digestion is retained or imprisoned 
by the action of the pyloric structures, and thus distends the stomach 
by its bulk or by gases evolved by the process of fermentation, which 
h apt to ensue. 

The food of the horse contains an abundant quantity of starchy 
materials, and the process by which these are rendered soluble com- 
mences in the mouth, not only by their admixture with the salivary 
secretions, but by a chemical change through which the non-soluble 
starch is converted into dextrine and grape sugar, and made fit for 
the action of the intestinal, bilary and gastric secretions, and for ab- 
sorption by the vessels of the gastric and intestinal walls. For the 
purpose of performing this process the horse is provided with twenty- 
four millstones, in the form of molar teeth, which have the power of 
crushing and triturating the hardest food, and of an extensive sys- 
tem of salivary organs which secrete very actively during the process 
of mastication, a fluid which effectively blends with and chemically 
changes the food thus triturated. On this account it is found that 
when horses are sufficiently but not overly fed with dry food of a 
proper quantity, the stomach rarely suffers from disease. An error 
in the diet, however, or a sudden change from one kind of food to 
another, not only deranges the stomach, but the intestinal canal as 
well. 

From various causes, such as improper food, the process of denti- 
tion, diseases of the teeth causing imperfect mastication, ravenous 
feeding, the presence of other diseases, debility of the stomach itself, 
resulting from some constitutional predisposition, or from food given 
tu uncertain and rare intervals, a condition of indigestion is in- 
duced in the horse. In young animals the same is induced by 
draughts of cold milk, removal from the dam at too early an age, of 



what is commonly the case in some places, compelling the dam to 
work shortly after the birth of the offspring, and allowing it to suckle 
at rare intervals and when the dam is heated. In the horse the 
symptoms of indigestion are loss of appetite, or depravity and capri- 
ciousness of it, manifested by the horse eating at irregular intervals, or 
having a desire to eat filth, with sourness of the mouth and usually 
increased thirst. The animal soon becomes hide-bound, has a dry, 
scurfy skin; there is irregularity of the bowels and frequent escape 
of flatus by the auus. If caused by imperfectly masticated food, 
such as whole oats or coarse hay, these may be found in the faeces. 
In addition to the above diagnostic symptoms, there may be a dry 
cough, or irregularity of the pulse, which may be slower or faster 
than natural ; colicky pains may also be present in some cases, oc- 
curring more particularly in an hour or two after the animal has par- 
taken of its food, whilst in others fits of giddiness, and even paralysis, 
occurs; the latter condition being not seldom seen in cattle, and 
very often in horses. 

In the young animal the above symptoms are more commonly as- 
lociated with diarrhoea than in the -older ones, in which constipation 
is generally present. The faeces often resemble the color of the food ; 
for example, if the horse is fed on dark colored hay or clover, the 
fasces will be dark colored also ; if, on the contrary, it is fed on oats, 
the faeces will be light in color ; and in the young animal, when fed on 
milk, it will often resemble it both in color and consistence, mixed, 
however, with large masses of curdled milk, and often very foetid. 
It has often been noticed that when indigestion is induced by clover 
the urine is very dark in color, and deposits a thick, almost brick- 
colored sediment. This condition of the urine, however, need cause 
no apprehension, as it is often seen in the clover-fed animal without 
any disease being present. Indigestion is a. fertile source of deposits 
in the urine, which results from imperfect nutrition of the tissues, 
or a chemical change in the constituents of the blood-plasma, due 
to the products being imperfectly prepared or containing some ma- 
terial unfit for healthy nutrition. 

In the treatment of indigestion, the oause ought to be carefully 
Inquired into and removed* If due to the process of dentition, the 
presence of unshed crowns of the temporary teeth instating and 
wounding; the mouth, or to any irregularity of the dental apparatus 



— 213- 

ihcse raust be attended to acoording to the direotions laid down undef 
their several heads. In all instances where suoh causes are not in 
operation, even when the cause cannot be traced to the food, it will 
be necessary to make some alteration in the diet and to examine the 
various alimentary matters in order to detect the offending one if 
possible. If the diarrhoea is not excessive and the animal thereby 
much debilitated, it would be advisable to give a mild aperient or a 
moderate cathartic. To the young animal a dose of castor oil or lin- 
aeed oil, to the older a moderate dose of aloes, combined with a veg- 
etable bitter, ginger or gentian. In foals pepsin can be adminis- 
tered, as in all probability the indigestion is due to imperfect secre- 
tion of the gastric glands ; even in the older animal this is often pre- 
eumably the case, and more especially when the disorder occurs with- 
out apparent cause ; the same remedy will prove beneficial. The 
diet of the animal is also to be carefully conducted, and that pure 
air, moderate exercise and good grooming are essential to proper di- 
gestion. Occurring in the winter, if the horse is thickly covered 
with hair, clipping will have a beneficial result, restoring the diges- 
tion and appetite, which may have been long impaired, notwithstand- 
ing remedies, in the course of a few hours. 

Distension of the stomach may arise from repletion with solid 
food, or from the evolution of gases arising from solids or liquids 
contained within it undergoing the process of fermentation, or dis- 
engaged from the gastric walls when the stomach is empty, as occur- 
ring in conditions of great prostration. The cause of impaction of 
the stomach results from the indigestion of food too abundant in 
quantity, or greedily swallowed and imperfectly masticated. In those 
parts of the country where the cooking of food for horses is a com- 
mon custom, it is found that deaths from diseases and lesion of the 
digestive apparatus are very common. From the reasons that it is 
necessary for the food to undergo, not only the process of tritura- 
tion by the teeth, but that it requires to be chemically altered by 
combination with the saliva, it will be understood that food prepared 
in any other way, as cooking by boiling and steaming, is unfitted to 
be acted upon by the stomach, and is consequently retained within 
it, the animal meanwhile continuing to eat until its walls become 
distended, paralyzed or even ruptured. Some kinds of food, nutri- 
tious in themselves and theoretically calculated to be proper for tat 



— 214 — 

feorse, are found practically to be highly dangerous. Wheat, for ia- 
itance, which is highly nutritious, is considered to be improper food, 
deranging the stomach, causing purgation, laminitis and death. 
Barley has a similar effect. When it becomes compulsory to cook 
the food, it should be given with the greatest caution and in small 
quantities. Bran in mash or otherwise, musty hay, or too ripe before 
being cut, barley and green foods, not only induces engorgement, but 
also undergo fermentation *ii the stomach, and thus bring on tym- 
panitis. 

How Should a Horse be Fed During a Hard March or a 

Long Drive. 

How many times have I seen farmers and horse owners before 
starting on a visit or a long journey give their horse a big breakfast, 
Baying, "he's got a hard days work before him." About ten o'clock, 
when he has gone 25 or 30 miles from home, Mr. Horse lies on the 
side of the road with a good case of acute colic Cause "good break- 
fast'* Now, I will give you my idea of the way a horse should be 
fed in order for him to do the work and prevent sickness. Give him 
a good big supper. This allows his digestive organs all night to 
perform their functions, and your horse has laid up a reserve for a 
Journey. In the morning give a light breakfast of grain, say four 
quarts of oats, no hay. Same at noon. Always water your horse 
after, never before eating. Nevor drive up to a trough when on the 
road and let him drink. Use a pail that you may know how muoh 
he is drinking. For myself I do not approve of watering a horse 
more than four times a day when on a journey, early in the morn- 
ing, again at ten o'clock, again at four and again at night when put- 
ting him up for his rest. 

When you desire to stop but a short time for dinner, you need not 
wait until your horse is cool before you feed him. Feed him hia 
grain at once, and as soon as he has eaten he is ready for business. 
A great many horsemen will tell you that there is danger in feeding 
a horse when very warm. Bat it is not so. Understand me cor- 
rectly, I refer only to instances where you are going to put your 
tone to work immediately after he has eaten his dinner. Whs* 



flltf — 



Warm, his stomach is expanded, and your keeping him warm, it re- 
mains in that state. On the other hand, if you allow him to stand, 
the stomach contracts, and the gas from the grain brings on colio. 



Taking Care of Horses when Heated. 

It is the habit of a great many persons when their horses become 
heated to cover them with a great heavy blanket. This is wrong. 
Do not cover your horse, for about five minutes, letting him steam. 
Then put on a light blanket, allow him to stand with this blanket 
on for half an hour, then remove the light blanket and put on your 
heavy one. This gives the animal a warm, dry covering, after you 
have removed the light blanket which is wet from the steam of the 
horse. Follow these directions and it will prevent your horse from 
catching cold. I approve of giving the horse a thorough rubbing 
first, if convenient. 

Care of Horses in the Spring of the Year, 

Great care should be given the animals during the months of 
April and May, to prepare them for the warm weather. As soon as 
the grass starts your horse should be grazed thirty to forty minutes 
each day, and tiiis as early in the morning as possible. Green grass 
will physic your horse, purify his blood, and get the grain that he 
has been eating through the winter months out of his system. At 
the same time that you are grazing the horse, feed bran mashes and 
Btop feeding grain for a week or ten days, until you get his system 
in a thoroughly good condition. I would also advise that driving 
horses with feet that are inclined to contract be walked in the dew 
every morning through the summer months. This is one of the 
greatest treatments in the world for softening and expanding the 
horse's feet. It is much better than all the hoof ointment there U 
on the market, and it is a great deal cheaper. 

In cities where it is not feasible to graze your horse, give him * 
backet of green grass cut from the lawn. 

16 



-210 



Horses. 

The number of horses has risen from 4,336,719 in 1850 to 
14,976,017 in 1890. In 1850 Ohio headed the list with 463,397 ; in 
1860, Ohio again, with 623,346 ; in 1870 Illinois had gone to the front 
with 853,738, and at the front she remained in 1880 with 1,023,082, 
and in 1890 with 1,335,289 horses. It is, a curious commentary on 
the old fear that railways would destroy the market for horses, that 
their number has most increased where railways have been most de- 
veloped. 

In 1850 there were returned, horses, 4,336,719; mules and asses, 
559,331 ; together, 4,896,050, to a population of 23,191,876, or an 
animal of equine parentage to each 4$ inhabitants. In 1890, horses, 
14,976,017 ; mules and asses, 2,296,045 ; together, 27,272,062, to a 
population of 62,317,194, or an animal to each 2} inhabitants, not- 
withstanding that the miles of railroad had enormously increased in 
the 40 years. 

It would be interesting and instructive to learn the average value 
of each animal in 1850 and in 1890. Undoubtedly the common 
horse of to-day is a great deal better animal and will sell for much 
more money than his predecessor a human generation ago. Probably 
that increase is one-third to one-half. The deep and widespread in- 
terest in running and trotting for their own sake, as well as the efforts 
purposely made to improve horse stock, have b<*rne abundaj *nd 
gratifying fruits. 



— aw — 



Taken by districts, the figures in the foregoing table are quite inter- 
esting and instructive. The first nine States form the North Atlantic 
division ; in it in the last decade (from 1880 to 1890) has been an in- 
crease of 11.83 per cent, in horses and 12.73 per cent, in mules. The 
next nine States are the South Atlantic division, and in the past decade 
increased in the number of horses 9.90 per cent., and in mules 20.31 
per cent. The next twelve States constitute the North Central division, 
and increased in horses 51.31 per cent., and in mules 21.80 per cent, 
from 1880 to 1890. The South Central district is made up of the next 
eight States. The percentage of increase for the same time was 46.50 
per cent, horses and 30.72 per cent, mules. The last eleven States make 
up the Western division, and between 1880 and 1890 there was an in- 
csease of 108.79 per cent, in the number of horses, and 65.55 per cent. 
in mules. Illinois has the largest number of horses at this time, and 
Missouri the largest number of mules. 



218 — 



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-220 



Oacar R. Gleason's Original Methods for Detecting 
Unsoundness in the Horse. 



The restilt of an experience of over fifteen years duration, in whick time he 
has handled over " twenty thousand horses" which, however, may 
seem incredible to the reader, but the truth of which he can clearly sub' 
stantiate, and the fact demonstrated on referring to his fournals, giving 
the owners* names and addresses, the kind of horse and the character of 
their habits, and the date they were handled by him. 



In meeting with so many unsound horses in my journeyinga aboui 
the United States, I am awakened to the fact that I might enlighten 
many of my readers by my original methods of detecting all of the 
unsound points about the horse. In doing this I do not intend to 
make use of any scientific terms that belong to the veterinary college, 
but instead of which it will be my aim to use plain matter of- fact lan- 
guage, and that which would generally occur in any and every commu- 
nity where people reside who admire and cultivate to improve that noble 
animal so highly estimated by man. In doing this it is certainly not 
rny o ject to induce the reader to entertain the idea that I belong to 
the veteraiary school. If, perchance, the reader should entertain 
the idea let me here disabuse his mind with regard to it. The veter- 
inary college is an institution of a very high order, and one worth j 
of the patronage of the rising generation, and should receive the ea- 
eouragement of the whole world. 



How to Examine the Horse. 

In the first place use your own judgment and do not listen to what 
your neighbors say. If you are in a locality where you can get a 
good veterinary to examine him, I would advise you to do so, unless 
you consider yourself fully qualified j if such is the case with the 
leader, I can only say go ahead. 



-221- 

Hare the horse led out of the stable, as all horses should be examined 
in the ©pen air. The first of all look to his age. For ascertaining 
the correct age of the horse you will find it laid down elsewhere in 
this book. Open the horse's mouth, look at his grinders and see 
that they are in a proper condition. Next examine his eyes, then 
his ears, running your fingers carefully in them to see that there is 
no unnatural growth of warts or bunches such as wens, etc., which 
could not otherwise be discerned, as thereby many horses have been 
rendered deaf from such causes. Take your right hand, place it on 
the top of his head and feel for the effects of Polevil, or any sores of 
eny nature that may be there. Then run your hand back to his 
withers and examine for any marks of the surgeon's knife or fistula, 
also while examining the mouth, look carefully for any marks (ft 
Bears that might be the result of the use of the knife. Now run 
your hand on the horse's back to the region of his kidneys to ascer- 
tain if there is any weakness there. Now stand directly in front of 
the animal, and see if he has a full chest, and that his shoulders aie 
both alike. Now look at his fore feet and see if they are both the 
eame size. 

Now pick up his feet and see that the frog is of a yielding and 
tender character. See that he does not have " Thrush," which yon 
can detect from the offensive odor arising therefrom. Now look on 
the inside of his front leg and see whether he ha3 splints or any 
unnatural enlargements of any character or nature. Now, examine 
the hind legs for bone spavin or any enlargemen t of the hock joint, such 
as blood spavins, bog spavin, thorough pin, curve, &c, &c. Examine 
the leaders and tendons. Now have the horse ^rotted at a slow and 
also a quick pace ; then take a side view of the same action. Then 
have him backed quickly and led up quickly, keeping your eyes on 
his hind legs, looking for string halt. Now have him turned round 
short, looking for any weakness about his front legs, in which he will 
exhibit by dragging one of his limbs. Also examine his throat and 
nostrils, looking for any disease that might be located there. 

The ears of a horse should be small ; broad between his ears, 
broad between his eyes, with a large and full hazel eye, perfectly 
level and straight from the forehead down to the nostril, with a 
large, full nostril and thin. Size of the animal varies according to 
what you want to use him for. The bones of the horse's leg should be 



flat And with very little flesh upon them, showing the corcis and 
leaders perfectly. The foot should be of a flat nature. I have found 
those to be of a more lasting kind. The foot that contracts easiest 
is of a high wall and closed heel. (See engraving in this book for 
perfect horse.) 

The reader may be assisted in reviewing the following list of com- 
mon terms used in expressing the unsound points about the horse: 

Contraction of the foot ...Unsound. 

Thrush in the foot Unsound until cured. 

Toe Crack • Unsound. 

Quarter Crack Unsound. 

Corn .....Unsound. 

Flat foot, when sole has dropped Unsound. " ♦ 

Pomace sole, or any inflammation of the 

laminae Unsound. 

Callousness upon the knee, caused by a horse fall»ng down, or other* 
wise, is an evidence of unsoundness. 

If the knee is swollen, but no wen or protuberance of a callous nature, 
found. 

As to the eye, any disease, even from the slightest cold or inflammation, 
until it be completely cured or has resulted in total blindness, stamp tha 
animal as unsound. 

In short, a horse with either eye not actually perfect is unsound. 

Ringbone Unsound. 

Canker in the foot Unsound. 

Windgalls I consider not in the full sense of the term unsound, buf 
rather as a blemish brought on by overwork or strain. 

Curb Unsound. 

Spavins of all natures and kinds Unsound. 

Cappid Hocks Unsound. 

Rheumatism Unsound. 

Thorough Pins Unsound. 

Blood Spavin Unsound. 

BogSpavin Unsound. 

String halt Unsound. 

Low hip or any protuberance of the hip Unsound. 

Gease Heels, until cured Unsound. 

Cracked Heels. Unsound. 

Enlargement of the hind leg, or what is technically 
termed "KleplianUne" , Unsound 



-233 — 

Wtak back Unsound. 

Knuckling of the pastern joint, or sprung knees Unsound. 

Stumbling, which is generally caused by the weak- 
ness of the tendons Unsound. 

All enlargements of the sinews or tendons Unsound. 

Heaves, or broken wind Unsound. 

Cough, until cured , Unsound. 

Crib biting. Unsound. 

Wind sucking Unsound. 

Heaving, a nervous affection not necessarily injurious but more of a 
habit. 

Surfeit or Mange Unsound until cured. 

Glanders Unbound. 

Strangles Unsound. 

Colds and distempers, until cured Unsound. 

Enlarged joints Unsound. 

Soft enlargements on any part of the limb Unsound. 

Sore shoulders or galled backs Unsound until cured. 

Horses where the shoulder has shrunk or perished, it is caused by In 
flammation of the tendons, originating in the foot, and they are unsound. 

Stiff hocks Unsound. 

Wounds of every nature, until cured Unsound- 
Scars of all kinds, if properly healed, not leaving a bone fracture, ar* 
sound. 

Horses who cut their quarters when spading, or when lying down tn 
stall have caused the shoe boil, are unsound until cured. 
Roman backed horses are the most durable animals we have. 
Saddle backed, hollow backed and low backed horses may be considered 
sound, but are nevertheless an eyesore to the owner. 
Wall eyed or moon eyed horses, if not sightless, I consider sound. 
All humors arising from impurities of the blood or otherwise I consid-j* 
an evidence of unsoundness until cured. 

Pigeon toed horses, or horses toeing in, unsound, being an unnatura* 
development, liable to cork themselves or interfere. 



Lampas. — This is a fullness of the roof of the mouth and is mort 
frequently found among young horses. 

Treatment — Cut the first bar in roof of the mouth, saraeeziB g ent 
the blood, then add a little salt. Never burn them as in our grand- 
father's days. This is not considered by me as an evidence of ua« 
soundness, as the remedy is simple and eifccwak 



— 224 — 

Firing horses for any enlargement of the limb or any other can» 
I consider a brntal treatment, and when left so treated, I considei 
him unsound. 

If teeth are two small teeth and found on either side of the 
tipper jaw next to the .If they set close to the grinde? 

there is danger of their effecting the eye. They should never be 
knocked out as is practiced by many, but should be removed by a 
pair of forceps. They are peculiar to young horses or colts ; after 
have been abstracted, I consider the horse sound. By a care- 
fnl pernsal of what I have said upon the most natural cause3 that 
render the horse unsound, and a few suggestions as to the treatment 
em, if I have rendered the reader any assistance and saved 
the noble horse, man's true reliance, any torturous treatment, I am 
satisfied, 



THE TEETH. 



A foal at birth has three molars, or grinding teeth, juat 
through the gums, upon both sides of the upper and of the 
lower jaws. It generally has no incisor or front teeth; but the 
gums are inflamed and evidently upon the eve of bursting. The 
molars or grinders are, as yet, unflattened or have not been 
rendered smooth by attrition. The lower jaw, when the inferior 
, appears to be very thick, blunt and round. 

A fortnight has rarely elapsed before the membrane ruptures 
and two pairs of front, very white teeth, begin to appear in the 
mouth. At first these new members look disproportionately 
large to their tiny abiding place, and when contrasted with the 
ned gum3 at their base, they have that pretty pearly aspect 
which is the common characteristic of the milk teeth in most 
animals. 

la another month, when the foal is six weeks old, more teeth 
appear. Much of the swelling at first present has softened 
dowa. Tae membrane, as time progresses, will lo^B much of 
its scarlet hue. In the period which has elapsed since the 



— 225 — 



former teeth were looked at. the sense of disproportionate size 
has gone The two front teeth are now fnlly up, and these are 
almost of suitable proportions. When the two pairs of lacteral 
incisors first make their appearance, it is m such a shape as can 
imply no assurance of their future form. T .r.ble the 

corner nipners and do not s - a 

lateral incisors, which they will ultimately become. 

There is now a long pause before more teeth appear, lhe 
little on- upon and I runs by its mothers side. 

ITpon the completion of the first month., seldom earlier, it may 
be observed to lowei its head and nip the young grei ^ 

the third month, however, the habit grows, until by h 

month, the grinders will be worn quite flat and have been reduced 
to the state suited to their function. . 

The corner the mouth about the n 

month, the four pair of nippers which have already been fane 
being at this time fully developed. The corner 
are depicted as thr, ough th 

oralis point t: :h other, neither has the membrane of 

the mouth at this time I he deepened hue of infan 

From this date, however, the gums gradua. 
till bv the end of the G has nearly 

assumed its normal complexion during the earlier period of ex- 
iafa • 50. All the incisors are, by the first birthday, irell *£ 
The grinding : h are in the mouth when the foal first 

sees the light, are of a temporary character. 

has to hold and to mature the long permanent grinders which, 
within the b a bone, are growing tx I be tern- 

porary molars. To contain and to develop I uncut 

teeth, before appearing above the gums. small jaw of 

a d : mi: -1 to be disproportion: pectallj as 

compared with the same structure in an adult horse. 

At rear old the first permanent tooth appears, ir. 

the fourth molar, or the mos: ,rd grinder in the engrar- 

ing The jawbone at one year ^nger and Wlder - 

This increase of si- was necessary to cover the increasing mxo 
of the new molar and to afford room for t -/ment 

of two other grinders, which will appear behind what is row the 

last tooth. s 

attached to the gums, appear in front o: W of grinders. 



— 220 — 

These are vulgarly denominated te wolves' teeth." They genei' 
ally disappear with the shedding of those members facing which; 
they are located. 

The changes in the teeth, after the first year, are character- 
ized by the longer periods which divide them. Months have 
heretofore separated the advent of single pairs ; but from this 
date these appearances are to be reckoned by numbers and by 
years. The foal has teeth sufficient to support and to maintain 
its growth. Preparation is being made for the advent of the 
sixth grinder, and for changes in those milk molars which were 
in the mouth when the animal was born. At the same time 
additional width is needed to allow the permanent incisors to 
appear when their time comes. In the front teeth of a two- 
year-old, there is a want of that fixedness which, one year be- 
fore, was characteristic of these organs. The central nippers 
have done their duty, or, at all events, something approaching 
to maturity has been attained. 

Three years old is the period when the greater number of 
colts are brought to market. The bit then is put into its 
mouth, and it is driven from the field. At a period of change 
and of debility it is expected to display the greatest animation 
and to learn strange things. When its gums are inflamed ; 
when the system is excited ; when the strength is absorbed by 
an almost simultaneous appearance of twelve teeth, it is led 
from the pasture and made, with its bleeding jaws, to masticate 
sharp oats and fibrous bay. 

It has been eaid that a three-year-old colt cuts twelve teeth. 
The engraving presents half the lower jaw of an animal of that 
age. Those organs which are of recent appearance will be re- 
cognized by their darker color, by their larger size, or by their 
differing in shape from the other members. These new teeth 
are a central incisor and the first two grinders. The horse has 
two jaws and two sides to each jaw ; therefore the same number 
being present within each side of both jaws, the teeth already 
alluded to appear during the third year. However, even this 
quantity rather understates than overrates the fact, for fre- 
quently the tushes are cut during this period. In such a case 
the colt acquires no less than sixteen teeth in twelve months. 

The four-year-old has to perfect as many teeth as ire known 
to protrude into the mouth o£ the three-year-old. But the pre- 



— 227 — 

c'we time of the appearance of the tushes is uncertain. They 
may come up at the third or the fourth year ; sometimes they 
hever pierce the gums, it being very far from uncommon to see 
horses' mouths of seven years without the tushes. 

By the end of the fourth year the colt has certainly gained 
twelve teeth. By this time there should exist, on each side of 
both jaws, one new lateral incisor and two fresh molars, being 
the third and the sixth in position. The appearance of the 
mouth now indicates the approach of maturity ; but the inferior 
margin of the lower bone still feels more full and rounded than 
is consistent with the consolidation of an osseous structure. 

The process of dentition is not finished by the termination of 
the fourth year. There are more teeth to be cut, as well as the 
fangs of those already in the mouth to be made perfect. 

The colt, with four pairs of permanent incisors, has still the 
corner milk nippers to shed, yet while the provision necessary 
for that labor is taking place within the body, or while nature is 
preparing for the coming struggle, man considers the poor 
quadruped as fully developed and as enjoying the prime of its 
existence. 

The teeth may be scarcely visible in the mouth, nevertheless 
such a sign announces the fifth year to be attained. There are, 
at five, no more bothering teeth to cut. All are through the 
bone and the mouth will soon be sound. 

The indications of extreme age are always present, and, 
though during a period of senility the teeth cannot be literally 
construed, nevertheless it should be impossible to look upon the 
"venerable steed " as an animal in its colthood. 



Gleason's Entire New Method of Telling the Age of 

a Horse. 

Copyrighted 

Question. How do you tell the age of a horse ? 

Answer. There are many methods of telling the ages o* 
horses, but I have a new method, and one that you can always 
tell within one or two years of their correct age, which ia aa 
follows : 



-223 



UPPER a AW 



l3..~»-~ 
15 »-—•. 



0. R. 
GLEASON'S 




-.13. — n- »~ 

.15.-.*.— .»J, 

-I8.._»». f^J 

...... »*\ 



.11... 



NEW 
SYSTEM 



jDF TELLING HORSES'AGEJ 



LOWER JAW 



A horse has forty teeth — twenty-four grinders, twelve front 
teeth and four tusks. A mare has thirty-six teeth — twenty-four 
grinders, twelve front teeth, and sometimes they have tusks, but 
not very often. Fourteen days old a colt has four nipper teeth, 
at three months old he has four middle teeth, at six months old 
he has four corner teeth ; at one year old the cups leave thb 
nipper teeth, at two years old the cups leave the middle teeth, 
at two and a half years old he Bheds his nipper teeth, at three 
years old full size nipper teeth ; three and a half years old he 
sheds his middle teeth, four years old full-size middle teeth ; 
at four and a half years old sheds his corner teeth ; five years 
old, full-size corner teeth ; six years old, large cups in corner 
teeth, small cups in middle teeth, and still smaller cups in nipper 
teeth ; seven years old, cups leave nipper teeth ; eight years old, 
cups leave the middle teeth ; nine years old, cups leave the cor- 
ner teeth ; at ten years old a dark groove will make its appearance 
on the upper corner tooth ; at fifteen years old the groove will be 
one-half way down the upper corner tooth ; at twentj One years 
old the grooves will be at the bottom. At this age give your 
Worse his time and let him have rest in his future days. 



— 229 — 

The groove alluded to will be found on the corner tooth of the 
upper jaw, running down the middle of the tooth. When a 
horse is from fourteen days to six years old, I judge by tne 
appearance of both jaws ; when from six to ten years, by the 
lower jaw, and when from ten to twenty-one years, by the groove 
in the upper jaw. The above is the only true system in the 
world, to my knowledge, for telling a horse's age. 



Gleason's Praotical Illustrations of the Age of t&6 

Horse. 




The Foal's Jaw at Birth. 



— 230 — 




«n»ti lug ta» Hontb of Colt sia Ww» Otfi. 



-«8l — 




St****** r»«U T««tl» «rf Colt «l Wo* Moutfc*, 




16 



Ytew «f J»w •* » Oae.\eeifOia Calf. 



— 232 — 




Wde View of J aw of a Two- Year-Old Colt* 




ftuowluif Colt's Mouth at Two Years of Aire. 



BBS— 




Showing Houtb at Tiro and a-half Tears of Age, 




Showing Mouth at Three Tears Ola. 



-aa-i— 




Tbo Jaw ©f a TbrwYear-OJd Cult. 




Tbe Jaw of a Four- Tear-Old Colt. 



' sss ■ 



it , 




Showing? Month at Four Tears of Age. 




Showing Sloaflfe at Four nod a-half Tears of Ag». 



333 







Showing Month at Five Teera of Aice. 




ft&owlng Mouth »t Six T»w •**■■» 



— 287 — 




ftbowlng Mont li at Seven Tears of Age* 







-«*Vj» S\ 







Showing Mouth Twenty Tears of Age. 




Showing the Month at Thirty Tears of Age. 



Haring made a study of the horse's mouth during my fifteen 
years of experience, the above illustrations will be found accurate 
in all cases. But I will refer you to my new method of telling 
the age of a horse from fourteen days to twenty-one years old. 
Bny all horses by its instructions and you will never be deceived. 



"" Sdo-«# 



Remember Ttiia. 



To Tell the Age of Horses. 



To tell the age of any horse, 
Inspect the lower jaw, of course. 
The sixth front tooth the tale will tell, 
And every doubt and fear dispel. 

Two middle "nippers" you behold 
Before the colt is two weeks old. 
Before eight weeks, two more will come ; 
Eight months, the "corners" cut the gum 

Two outside grooves will disappear 
From middle two in just one year. 
In two years from the second pair ; 
In three the corners, too, are bare. 

At two, the middle " nippers " drop ; 
At three, the second pair can't stop. 
When four years old, the third pair goes ; 
At five a full new set he shows. 

The deep black spots will pass from view, 
At six years, from the middle two. 
The second pair at seven years ; 
t At eight the spot each '" corner " clears. 

From middle "nippers," upper jaw. 
At nine the black spots will withdraw. 
The second pair at ten are white ; 
Eleven finds the " corners " light- 
As time goes on, the horsemen know, 
The oval teeth, three-sided grow ; 
They longer get, project before, 
Till twenty, which we know no more. 



— Glbasob*. 



- 2&y 




Horses' Teeth. Their Care and Treatment. 



There are hundreds and thousands of horses that are suffering 
daily on account of their teeth. The upper jaw of the horse is one 
inch wider than the lower jaw, causing the upper grinders to shut 
half an inch over the lower grinders. This causes the upper set 
of teeth to wear sharp on the outside next to the cheek, and the 
lower grinders to wear sharp on the inside next to the tongue. After 
these teeth become sharp, in using a bridle on a horse, the pulling of 
the lines brings the cheek-pieces of the bit against the horse's mouth, 
pressing the inside of the cheek against the sharp ed^es of the 
grinders, causing inflammation and many times cutting large gashes. 
The horse will throw its head up and down, slobber, drive uneven, 
pull on the lines, many times will balk; his grain passes through 
him whole, he cannot masticate it properly. During my professional 
career, I have seen hundreds of horses become balky for no other rea- 
son than that their teeth were sharp on the edges, causing the mouth. 



-241 - 

and cheeks to become sore and lacerated, which, in a high-strung 
and nervous beast, causes him to balk. Now, to have your horse's 
teeth fixed, take a float or rasp and file off the inside edps of the 
teeth— just the sharp edges. Never let a man cut your horse's teeth 
with shears, as it is impossible to cut ivory without fracturing it. 
This operation of floating should be done once a year regularly. 
Always have the operation performed by a man of good judgment. 
Many a time a horse loses a grinder, then the opposite grinder is 
given a chance to grow, and eventually comes into direct contact 
with the opposite gum, making it impossible for the horse to eat at 
all. Examiue your horse's mouth thoroughly; see that the teeth are 
even ; if not, take a float and make them so. Many of our best 
veterinarians prescribe condition powders and medicines for horses 
that are in thin flesh, hide-bound, etc., when the proper operation 
upon the teeth will cure your horse without buying a lot of this 
trash. 



HORSE-SHOEING DEPARTMENT. 



Question. What do you think of horse-shoes and horse-shoeing in 
general ? 

Answer. There is no subject before the horse owners to-day that 
should interest them more than the subject of horse-shoeing. The 
force of this statement will make itself felt when you consider that 
there are in the United States at the present time over 14,000,000 
horses, and that fully one half of them are badly crippled and al- 
most spoiled by the sheer ignorance of the ordinary horse-shoer. 
I claim that more horses are made lame by this butchery than any 
other cause, for the reason that the majority of blacksmiths havo 
not had the experience necessary to do the work as it should be 
done. They have not thoroughly mastered their profession. In 
order for a horse-shoer to understand the science of his profes- 
sion and the anatomy of the horse's foot, it is necessary fo> 



-842-. 

him to serve a long apprenticeship, and cannot be fully un- 
derstood without a practical teaching and experience of fire 
or seven years. There are horse-shoers who thoroughly under- 
stand their profession, and I recognize them as one of the 
greatest body of men that we have to-day in any profession 
There are rates upon shoeing that is being done at the present tim* 
by irresponsible parties, unskilled workmen, at the low rate of 
seventy-five cents for shoeing a horse all around. Now it is im- 
possible for any blacksmith to shoe a horse and do his work in a 
scientific manner for less than $2, and from that to $3, per horse. 
It will be a great satisfaction to me, and I believe to the mil- 
lions of horse owners, if a law should be passed in every State 
throughout America prohibiting a man from shoeing a horse 
or driving a nail into a horse's foot until he has served so 
many years as an apprentice. Then let him go to the capital of 
the State and there pass an examination that he is a qualified, 
capable and able horse-shoer, thoroughly understanding his profes- 
sion. Let him then receive his diploma to show the world that he 
has gained his profession by hard study and work, and is ready to 
perform his work in a skillful manner. 

If this should ever become a law, we should soon find out that we 
have only got a very few practical horse-shoers in the United States. 

I hope that those who read my ideas upon shoeing will hereafter 
appreciate a good horse-shoer. Do not patronize your cheap mechan- 
ics, but patronize those who understand their profession. You will 
then encourage men of good judgment, good common sense, to work 
hard in order to elevate their profession. 

Question. How should a horse be shod? 

Answer. Pare the foot perfectly level ; never take any more out 
at the heel than you do at the toe ; never allow your horse's frog to 
be cut in any way, shape or form. If there are rags hanging to the 
frog let them remain there ; never have the bars of your horse's foot 
cut. Let the horse-shoer cut enough of the sole out of the horse's 
foot so that the shoe will not rest or press upon the sole, leaving *o 
equal bearing or pressure upon the sole of the horse's foot. 

Have a shoe made that is concave from the third nail hole all the 



— 243 — 



ray round to the other third nail hole, from the last nail hole back 
4o the heel of the shoe ; have it bevelled outwardly, having the shoe 
thinner on the outside at the heel than it is on the inside. My phi- 
losophy of this is, to let the horse's frog come down even with the 
shoe, as when he puts his foot down on the ground, by the shoe being 
bevelled at the heel, it gives the quarters a chance to expand. 

You probably are aware of the fact that the horse's shoes that are 
manufactured at the present time are concaved all the way around • 
the result is that the shoe is slanting inwardly, and when the horse's 
foot is placed upon his shoe, with four nails driven upon each side, 
you have nailed his foot to an iron vise, and it is impossible for it to 
expand, for the reason that the shoe slanting inwardly causes the 
foot to contract. I would advise that all driving or saddle horses 
should only have six nails in the front feet and five in the hind feet- 
have them driven well to the middle of the horse's foot and come 
out of the horn as low as possible. Never file your horse's foot on 
the outside above the nail heads. Never file the crease under the 
clinches, as when you do you are weakening the crust of the horn of 
your horse's foot. You stop the growth of this live horn, causing 
the foot to become dry and brittle, and when the old shoes are re- 
moved you will find large chunks of the horse's foot breaking away 
with the old horseshoe nails. 

Never have a red-hot shoe placed upon your horse's foot. It draws 
the moisture and the oil from the hoof, making it become dry and 
brittle. Nature never destined that a horse's foot should be burned 
with a r^d-hot iron — warm shoes placed upon a horse's foot will do no 
harm. 

Always have the shoes made to fit the foot, and not fit the foot to 
the shoe, as is the practice with many would-be horse -shoers. 

No scientific workman will contradict the above facts. 

Question. How do you shoe a horse for overreaching ? 

Answer. Have a very heavy shoe on the front feet, having it very 
wide at the toe and narrow at the heel ; put as much weight at the 
toe as possible ; on the hind feet use my overreaching shoe with a 
wide web on the outside of the foot, which will stop any horse from 
overreaching. 



£44 



(See engravings of shoes for overreaching). What will stop on» 
horse from overreaching will not stop another; the blacksmith must 
use his judgment in all cases. 




THUE SHOES 60 ON 
THE FRONT FEET. THEY 
ARE USED ALSO ON 
HDtfSCS THAT STUHBLE 



These shoes go on 
the hind feet. wide 
.webb on outside of 

TH5 FOOT, 




Shoes to Prevent Interfering and Overreaching'. 

Note. — The shoes as they are in the above illustration will stop almost 
any horse from interfering or forging ; if they interfere with the front feet 
use the same kind of a shoe. 



Question. How long should a horse wear his shoes ? 

Answer. Not over four cr six weeks ; then they should be reset, 
merely rasping the feet off level. Do not cut away at the heels more 
than you can possibly help. 

Question. How heavy should a horse's shoe be ? 

Answer. For all driving and saddle horses, they should wear 
fourteen- ounce shoes on the front feet, ei^ht-ounce shoes on thk hind 



- £48 — 

feet. All team horses and heavy draft horses must be shod accord, 
ing to their weight and size. I am an endorser of light shoes for 
all driving horses, as horses pick np and put down during a day's 
work in the neighborhood of about fifty-three tons of iron, and you 
will quickly see that the lighter your horse is shod the better it is 
for him in going a long journey. 

All trotting horses must be shod aocording to the judgment of 
their drivers. They should shoe them to balance, and gait them to 
the best advantage for speed. 

Question. "What shall I do for a horse with corns ? 

Answer. Have the foot pared perfectly level ; then fit the shoe 
to the foot the same as for a sound horse's foot ; then at the quarter 
where the corn is, take and cut down about one-quarter of an inch, 
taking right out a chunk of the wall, making a shoulder, so that 
when the shoe is placed upon the foot the quarter that the corn is 
on will have no bearing whatever upon the shoe. Put in some good 
strong liniment or caustic and a little cotton over the com under 
the shoe. My idea of a corn is to remove the cause, and the corn 
will gradully waste away. My idea of shoeing in this way is, if you 
have a corn on your own foot and you relieve the pressure of your 
boot from that corn it certainly does not bother you. The same way 
with the horse. Horse-shoers, in shoeing a horse for this complaint^ 
should use the same judgment that he would for himself. 

Question. How shall I shoe my horse for a quarter crack ? 

Answer. On exactly the same principle as for corns 

(See engravings of horses shod for quarter crack). 

You must take off all the pressure that you possibly can off the 
diseased quarter, throwing it upon the sound part of the foot. I 
only lay down a few of the principal rules for you to go by. All 
horses being shod must vary according to the style and shape of 
their feet, and in all cases the blacksmith must use his own Jjudg* 
menU 



— 246 — 




To Shoe a Horse for Quarter Crack or Bad Cora, 



Question. How can I cure a sand or toe crack ? 

Answer. Shoe the horse the same as for corn or quarter crack. 

(See engravings for the above). 

Question. What shall I do for a horse that stumbles when driven f 

Answer. Pare his toes ; have them much lower than the heel, 
*nd use as heavy a shoe as possible, with all the weight of the shoe 
At the toe. This will give him the proper knee action, and prevent 
fjjm from stumbling, unless he is weak in the tendons; if go- 



— 247 — 

ase any of my liniments laid down in this book, rubbing them in 
the cards and tendons of the horse's limbs. Give him a little rest 
uutil you get him properly strengthened. Many horses stumble 
from nothing but weakness, and rest will cure them. 




Proper Way of Shoeing for Toe or Sand Crack. 



The following engraving shows a horse shod with a high-heeled 
ihoe, which will cause him to stumble ; also will cause his tendons to 
become contracted and cause general disease of the limb. If you have 
jaulks put on the shoe, have the toe caulk the same height of the heei 
caulk, giving the shoe an even bearing. 

17 



-848- 




Question. How should a driving or saddle horse be shod in the 
■ummer time? 

Answer*. With a plain flat shoe, as light as possible. I am a 
great believer in having all driving horses shod in the front feet^ 
with half shoes, known to horsemen as "tips." (See engraving.) 

All farm horses should be shod with the half shoe. 



The following engraving showg the half shoe known as the "toe- 
tip." All driving or saddle horses should be shod with this kind of 
shoe during the summer months, giving a full frog pressure, and in 



-246 - 

many cases it will cure the worst case of contracted feet. I would 
recommend this shoe to be used on all government horses. 




Question. Should a horse be put in a soaking tubf 

Answer. I do not believe in soaking horses' feet; it is overdone. 
There are cases where it will benefit a horse, but when carried to 
extremes it is injurious to the animal's feet, as the more you soak 
the drier the hoof will become. Look at the trotting horses to-day; 
they are being soaked out every morning, and when they are seven 
or eight years old their feet are completely ruined. One of th« 
greatest and best treatments to soften a horse's foot, and to cause it 
to grow, is to walk the horse early in the morning through grasi 
when the dew is on it This will cause your horse's foot to soften, 
%»d start it to grow very rapidly. 



— 2fO-» 

Question. Do you believe in putfi ig ointments on a horse f 

Answer. I do not recommend the use of all kinds of hoof oint* 
ments that are now going the rounds, "but there are oin tinea tf that, 
if placed up n the cornet of the horse's foot and on the heel* will 
be of 5; 'eat b nefit in order to expand and give the horse's foot a 
chance to grew or increase its growth. I would advise you to never 
use oil upon your horse's foot. 




Showing the Effects of the Soaking Tah* 

Question. Do you approve of the bar shoe ? 

Answer. I do not believe in the use of any bar slioe, only i^ casei 
where the horse has a drop sole, or a very flat foot, then I approve 
«£ the whole bottom of his foot being covered with iron ; or, in other 



-251 — 

■words, a whole plate covering his foot «tnd protecting it from tna 
♦arth. (See engravings of my ideas.) 

Question. How can I cure a horse 9 s contracted foot ? 

Answer. Pare his foot perfectly level, cutting the horn down 
until the frog will come even with shoe, if possible. Put on a poul- 
„ Sloe made of — 

Linseed meal. •• l quart, 

Charcoal I# P ints - 

Soft Soap J quart- 
Mix this all together, and put on the bottom of your horse's foot 
every twelve hours for five applications. 

Use skunk oil on the hoof-band of the horse's foot every morning 
for three weeks ; then put on a shoe made bevelled at the heel, having 
the shoe not thicker at the heel than it is at the toe. Open the heel 
a little with the knife, and turn your horse out to pasture. Let him 
run thirty days, then bring him up and have him reshod, and turn 
him out again for thirty days. He is ready then to drive, and with 
proper care in shoeing him, you will have no trouble with your 
horse. Remember, in order to have a thorough cure, you must fol- 
low the above directions. 

The next illustration shows the effects of soaking a horse's foot daily 
through a campaign on the turf. The little spot shown in the upper 
left hand corner is a corn, which in the majority of cases is caused 
by the shoe resting upon the bar of the horse's foot. This becoming 
bruised causes a callous, the same as upon a person's toe, which forms 
a corn. Can be cured by following treatment laid down elsewhere 
in this book. In all cases to relieve a horse from pain from this 
cause, you must relieve the pressure of the shoe against the corn. 

Question. What kind of a horse-shoe do you approve of? 

Answer. I approve of only the old common-sense shoe, made as 
plain as possible. The only thing we have to do in shoeing a horse, 
is to prevent the wall of the horse's foot from cracking away. If we 
did not have any pavements for our horses to travel over I believe that 
it would be unnecessary to shoe any horse whatever. There are a grea* 



~*252-*» 




Snowing the Effects of Soaking- a Horse's Foot Daily through a Can* 
paign on the Turf. 



many shoes to-day before the American horse owner; some are pat« 
f ;nted and some are not. They are introduced by specialists and 
toen that are seeking t" produce something new to make money out 
of. But let me say I do not believe that there ever will be a shoe 
manufactured that will do away with the plain, good common-sense 
shoe, forged and made by hand by a practical horse-shoer. I con- 
demn all machinery-made shoes, and only recommend shoes forged 
and made by hand. (See engraving on opposite page for my idea of 
horse-shoes.) 



Question. How many blacksmithi or horse-shoera are there in 
America ? 

Answer* 172,726 horse-shoer* 



Question* How many horses in America? 

Answer. A little over 14,000,000 and 2,162,808 mulet. 

Question. What shall I do to stop my horse from interfering t 

Answer* Pare his feet perfectly level, then have a shoe made that 
is about an inch and a half wide ; the web on the outside about three* 
quarters of an inch on the inside ; put the wide web part on the out- 
side of his foot, the narrow web on the inside. After you drive him, 




If he should interfere, pare the foot a little lower on the inside than 
it is on the outside. This will atop the majority of horses from in- 
terfering. 

Question. Will it work the same on the front feet that it does ©*j 
the hind feet ? 

Answer. Xfjfc 



— 254 — 
Question. What do you think of shoulder jam and sweeny t 

Answer. There is no such disease known to the veterinary 
science. There is a wasting away of the muscles of the horse's 
ehoulder, caused in many cases by the contraction of the horse's feet 
or the strain upon the tendons or contractions of the same. In order 
to get a sure cure, treat the foot and the limb, and the shoulder will 
take care of itself (bee my Veterinary Department.) 

Question, Will you give me some general points on the horse'i 
foot'? 

Answer. Never shoe a colt until he is three years old, or put him 
to work until he is rive years old. 

Never allow a blacksmith to sand paper a horse's foot. 

Never have the bars cu t or the frog cut. The frog, when in health, 
-will shed four times a year and grows the same as your finger naiL 

Always have the horse shod at least once in four or six weeks. 
Pay your blacksmith well for hia work. 

For all light driving and saddle horses use No. 6 nails in front 
feet, and No. 5 nails in the hind feet. For heavy draft horses you 
can use larger nails. 

Never have over fourteen-ounce shoes on a light driving horse. 

Some owners and drivers have a habit, which I do not approve of, 
When they come in from a drive, particularly in the spring of the 
year, and their horses are covered with mud, to order the groom 
to direcb the hose on the horse's legs to wash off the dirt. Let mt 
say that the cold water has a bad effect and brings on sundry com- 
plaints. Let the mud stay on until it dries, then remove it with a 
brush ; it will come off very easily and look fully as well as if washed, 
and will prevent your horse from having grease heel and many other 
diseases of the kind which are caused from the above treatment^ 
which is generally practiced by every horse owner. 




Vh& K«rse*s Perfect Fool. 

A shows a healthy frog, that has never been out by the blaotk- 

imith's knife, or otherwise diseased. Never allow your blacksmith 
to cut the frog or any part of it. If it is ragged, let the rag3 hang j 
nature will take its course, and they will shed off in due time. 

E E shows the bars of the horse's foot. Never allow these to be 
cut. Never allow the heek of the shoe to rest on them; they are 
placed in a horse's foot the same as a beam is placed in a building, 
to keep it from contracting the frog, placed between to act as • 
wedge in supporting them. 

D represents the sole of a horse's foot. Have enough of this cut 
away so that the shoe will not press upon the sole. Have your horse 
resold regularly every four weeks. 



256 — 




A Horse's Foot Perfectly Shod, 

The frog, in cases where it can be, should come down level wits 
the6hoe. The aboTe i 1 lustration Bhows the way all horses should 
be shod, except when caulks are req-r**ed. Caulks shonld always be 
low, and all shoes be perfectly level, no thicker at the toe than at 
the heeL 



Question. What are a few good general points on horsemanship? 

Answer. Match horses with reference to size and motion, parti- 
cularly to color, if you can. 

Alway3 have inside lines on double team quite long and back 
■traps short 

Never check a horse if you wish him to last long. 

"Never feed from mangers. Let your horse eat his food from the 
Ooor evet with his feet A great many horses suffer fr °s* todigt* 



-2S7 — 

tion and are made stiff and lame from eating from bay -racks and 
mangers, which is unnatural to the animals. 

Water and oats should be given first, hay afterwards. If you are 
working your horses hard, give them very little water at night. 

Always stop at the top of the hill and let your horse get his 
breath. If you have ever run np hill yourself think of your horse. 

Always have the shoes fit the foot and not fit the foot to the shoe* 

Never cut the bars of a horse's foot. 

For a coughing horse, wet his hay and not his oats. 

Never let your horse stand facing a cold wind. 

Alway3 feed light when changing feed. 

When training a horse in a barn, have carriages and all objecti 
removed, only those that you are using. 

Use very few words with a horse, but have them thoroughly 
understood. 

Be earnest and prompt, but not harsh. 

Always approach a strange horse near the shoulder. 

Never pat or caress a horse on the head ; always pat him on the 
■houlder. Think of some person coming up to yon and patting you 
on the head. What would you do ? 

Teach your horse before whipping, and, wfien you whip, do it to 
frighten, not to enrage him. 

Never jump from a wagon when your horse is running away. 

Always exercise sound judgment by purchasing a horse suited to 
the business you require of him. Some horses are good saddle 
horses, but might not make good cart horses. 

If your horse cribs — sell him. 

Who buys a horse needs a hundred eyes. 

Always try before you buy. 

Use your own judgment, and never take others' opinions. 

Your first thought is always the best. 

Never spare time or labor to relieve a suffering animal. Bemem* 
ber he is a dumb brute and cannot talk to you. 

In treating a disease that a horse may have, never spare a hair to 
do your work faithfully for the noble animaL 

Never have a blacksmith to put a red-hot shoe on your horse's foot. 

Always patronize the best horse-shoe ^ a of your city. It is one of 
to* greatest professions known to-day. 



-268- 

Do not overload your animal. 

Have your horse's shoes reset every four weeks. 

Never soak your horse's feet. 

Never clip a team horse. Driving horses can be clipped if thelf 
owners will see that they are pr perly cared for, but I do not ap- 
prove of clipping any more than I would take off my overcoat in 
Winter. 

Never have your horse's tail cut off. He needs it to switch flies 
with in the summer. Any man that will order this to be done should 
gerve five years in the State Penitentiary. 

The best feed for horses — good oats, good hay, good pure water. 
Never give over twelve quarts a day. 

Always see that your wagons are greased twice a week. 

See that all collars are properly cleaned after using, in order to pre- 
vent gall and sore necks. 

When using your saddle in a storm, see that the blankets are prop- 
erly dried before using again. 

Always have the co.lar fit your horse's neck properly. 

See that all saddles fit your horses properly. 

In the winter time be very careful and not put a cold iron bit in 
your horse's mouth. Think of yourself, and you will have sympathy 
for the dumb brute. 

Drive slow in turning corners. 

Don't hit your horse with a whip unless he knows what you hit 
him for. 

Use as little medicine as possible, but prevent sickness in your 
horses by giving them the proper care and attention. 

Give your horse who works hard through the day a good bed to 
■leep on. 

The curry-comb and brush, well used twice a day, is a3 good as 
three quarts of grain. 

Feed your horses regular. Water them often when doing hard 
work in very warm weather. 

Give bran mashes twice a week. 

Use only the best of hay. It is the cheapest in the end. 

Have hor?es shod as light as possible. Never use over six naila in 
the front feet and five nails in the hind feet for all light driving or 
laddie horses. 



~269~ 

When breaking a horse, use as light a br^ak-wagon as possible. 

Make your lessons short. 

Never lose your temper. Always have plenty of patience. 

Never drive fast down hill. 

Let your horse walk up hill. 

Let him go on the level. 

When you are coming from a drive and your horse is very warm, 
let him stand five minutes and steam before you put a blanket on 
him. 

Before leaving him for the night, change blankets — a dry one for 
the wet one. Nine-tenths of the diseases of horses are caused from 
their not having the proper care. 

If you have a heavy horse, sell him. 

Never put a horse to hard work until he is five years old. 

Packing and Soaking Horses* Feet. 

It is the practice among many horse owners, and especially trot- 
ting horse trainers, throughout the country, to pack and soak their 
horses' feet. This I do not approve of, and believe it is wrong, and 
that it has ruined thousands of our most valuable animals. Why ? 
Because it is carried to extremes. When you soak a board and dry 
it, the second time it is soaked it is much drier than it was at first, 
and every time you soak it the drier and more brittle it will be each 
time. Why does not the horse's hind feet become contracted? Be- 
cause, whether it be a horse or a mare, it spatters more or less of its 
urine upon its feet, the ammonia drives all diseases from the hoof, 
and the water keeps them soft. In the summer time, as I have al- 
ready mentioned, I recommend that the horse be led early in the 
morning through the dew. Let the reader stop for a moment and 
think of some time when he was out walking in the early morning, 
with good, thick boots on, and he will remember that in a very few 
minutes he b gan to feel the moisture of the dew penetrating through 
to his feet. Dew passes through the boot when water would not. 
This works the same upon horses, nature having provided this sim- 
ple preventive and cure for diseases of the hoof. It cleans the feet 
and caureg them to soften and expand. If your horse has hurt his 



-280 — 

feet or injured his limb by running a nail in his foot, or anything ot 
that sort, I approve of giving him a good soaking, and poulticing 
the injured member ; but never pack your horse's feet with oil meal, 
or soak them for the purpose of keeping the horse's feet soft. Use 
my hoof ointment as laid down in the Veterinary Department, and 
follow its directions. In order to show horsemen that the above 
theory is correct, how many horses do you see that have been cam- 
paigned for two or more seasons whose feet are not contracted, 
become hard and brittle, so that they are almost useless for the track 
or even for ordinary driving purposes ? I claim that every stable 
should have half a barrel placed in some corner with a notice above 
it " urinate here," and two or three times a week each horse should 
be swabbed oflf with the urine. To do this take a broom-handle and 
make a swab on the end of it with rags. Dip this into the urine 
and let it run down the legs and feet, commencing with the knee. 
Do this until the leg and hoof is thoroughly soaked. 




Applying; Mot»tur* to the Cornet iff <be Horse** Powo- 



*-26l — 

A Pew Points. 

Never pack your horse's feet 

Never allow a blacksmith to sand-paper your horse's hoof. 

Never allow oils of any kind to be placed on the outside of a horse's 
hoof, as it closes the pores. In order to keep a horse's foot in good 
order, and free from disease, take a pail full of salt water and wash 
his legs, from his knees down, three times a week. 

Where your horse's foot is contracted, or the frog has ^come hard 
and dry, use poultice. 



•«!*fflffii 




Toe weight s7io«i 




Jfcmspadd&ia shoe* 





Th* fbot ready far ffte shoe,shou-tno 

liffvff find bora as the// should be left .front via? ofsmnp fo^roOfra mobht> *As» 




JSnd fyetfhos tobcdanoe tfie ecfian.* 



•Sidgiweight shoe for hind tootih 



IS 





Foot prepared, for CharUer tip. 



Foot sho<3, with. Charter tip. 




.&&>& fUttng- 



ttfvng (%&*&, 




gpuAfLbvtt flat 1ho& 



JjacUtf coruorcuMd, J&flfi. 



SOUND AND CONTRACTED FEET, 




TopafwaXtlt, 



d -^ 



Clamp- 1 





.ActaaZ ffticXness 
ofwaZls of hoof., 




QvuartEn-cra/AwiffL cross ca£i 



-The clamp anal TxaiLranedtes applied^ 




' Soecrcufr.WallTerrhDvecltDsTuJW* 
\tio3orption, of coffin- oone.. 



One ef&etof Ociarter-Cra£^ 



Qxicfred, walls. 

^XJARTER^GRAC^AND REMEDIED 



n 
o 

i 

I 





Side tones'. 



after .TtQRohanJa.. 



JWNOBOKEANDN-AMtmjLAR DISEASE 



— 283- 



DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 

Causes of Disease. 

Scientific men give three names when they speak of the causes 
of disease — exciting, predisposing, and proximate. The first may 
justly be termed the originators of disease; by the second is 
meant those more easily acted upon by causes that a more healthy 
animal would resist altogether ; and the third is almost the disease 
itself. Of the causes with which we are acquainted, not many 
of them are alike, and their effects, that is, the disease, just as 
diverse. 

These causes are named in the following table : 

1. Electric, and other conditions of the atmosphere. 

2. Food and water. 

3. Overwork. 

4. Poisons — animal, vegetable, mineral and zumina,or ferments. 
6. Malformations, or badly-formed parts. 

6. Age and decay. 

7. Changes of temperature. 

8. Hereditary influence. 

9. Mechanical. 
10. Starvation. 

That the writer may be more clearly understood in regard to 
these causes, examples will be given in the order above stated. 

The first is looked upon as the cause of the many diseases which 
take on an epizootic form. The second, rusty straw, and musty 
hay and corn fed to animals with weak stomachs. Third, riding 
too far and too fast, overloading, etc. Fourth, animals drinking 
out of leaden troughs, where pieces of old iron may be lying in the 
bottom, and inoculation by the virus from a glandered horse, are 
illustrations of animal poisons, zumins, or ferments. (See Gland- 
ers.) Fifth, a horse with point of hock inclined forward, which is 
the originator of curb. Sixth, an old horse or cow, with no teeth 
to chew its feed. Seventh, taking an animal from a warm and 
comfortable stable and exposing it to a cold, north-eastern storm. 



~270 — 

Eighth, a flat forehead, transmitted from parentage, thus prevent- 
ing a full development of the brain where the optic nerve is given 
off from the brain, thus insuring blindness about the seventh or 
eighth year, and sometimes earlier. None need be told of the dis- 
position of the ooarse-bred Canadian horse to become affected with 
disease of the bones, mostly in the form of ring-bones (which see). 
Ninth, stone in the bladder, and calculi in the bowels. Tenth, 
besieged garrisons, fortresses, when crops have failed, and famine. 

How to Observe Diseases. 

We are sometimes asked how it is that we know so exactly what 
the disease is that this or that animal is affected with, as it cannot 
speak and narrate its ills and its aches. To this question we 
might repeat a common truism, U A shut mouth tells no lies ; " 
therefore, nobody is deceived. Nature has but one set of weights 
and measures, and these only should be used. Thus, if a horse 
have a corn or bruised heel, he will be as sure to go lame as he 
would with an ordinary sprain. The difference is, that he not 
only stretches out the sore foot, but he elevates the heel from the 
ground, and will not set his foot flat to please, or it may be said to 
deceive any one. The uneasy eye, the anxious expression, and the 
sharp peculiar look, tell the tale of suffering, and bear testimony 
to a description so faithful and true, that every man should un- 
derstand how to interpret them. 

The Principles of Disease. 

Congestion. — By this term is meant an undue flow of blood into 
a part, and remaining in it. The blood-vessels lose the power of 
contracting and emptying themselves, as when in health. Con- 
gestion is not accompanied with inflammation, as some suppose, 
and may exist without irritation. Irritation is only present when 
the blood passes more rapidly into a part than its vessels can 
carry it out, and inflammation only is present when more fluid is 
thrown into the vessels than they can get rid of. 

Irritation. — This peculiar condition is the result of increased 
sensitiveness, or an exalted action, accompanied with quickened 
beating of the heart and pulse. When we apply the term to special 
cases, it will be better understood as irritation of the bowels pro- 



— 271 — 

ducing diarrhoea, of the bladder frequently passing off urine, of 
the eye causing an increased flow of tears, and of the throat giving 
rise to courh. 

Inflammation differs from irritation, inasmuch as it is more pain- 
ful. There are three varieties — acute, sub-acute, and chronic. In- 
flammation has also three terminations: 

(1.) Resolution; that is, it gives way, or is relieved before any 
alteration has taken place in the part so inflamed. 

(2.) Suppuration, or the formation of pus. 

(3.) Mortification, or death of the part affected, and the subse- 
quent death of the animal. Inflammation is characterized by 
four conditions, or phenomena, as they are called — pain, heat, 
redness, and swelling. Inflammation assumes different degrees 
of intensity, modified by the cause, and the part or organ affected. 
When it is situated in the windpipe (bronchitis, which see), lungs, 
or bowels, great uneasiness and disturbance are manifest. In a 
few hours this condition gives way to depression. 

Depression. — Many diseases of an inflammatory type, when their 
course is run, leave the system in a state of depression, or a low 
condition of vitality. How necessary, then, that this should be 
properly understood when treating inflammatory diseases, as one 
pint of blood taken from a large horse would, under these circum- 
stances, cost him his life ! Rather anticipate the weakness by sup- 
porting and husbanding the strength as much as possible, so as to 
overcome disease. 

| There are two great divisions of diseased action, which it will be 
I well for farmers, and others interested in the welfare of their ani- 
j mals, to know, and these are : First. The exalted, or as it is called 
sthenic, or commonly known by the term inflammation, and re- 
quires for treatment, not bleeding, but medicine having the power 
of overcoming the exalted condition, by controlling the fast beat- 
ing of the heart and pulse. This is easily done by the powers of 
such agents as aconite or veratrum (which see), and without in any 
way impairing the strength and constitution of the animal. The 
second, or depressed condition of disease, and known as the as- 
thenic, requiring a treatment opposite to the above variety, namely, 
iron, gsntian, etc. (which see), to add to the strength of the ani- 
t xnal, *od snality of the blood. An improved diet, and in greater 



— £72- 

quality, will, in many case3 of depression, not only cure ths dis- 
ease, but remove the cause also. 

Fever. 

There are four stages observed in fever : — 

(1.) Weakness, loss of appetite, and low spirits. 

(2.) A shiver, or chill, uneasiness, flanks move quick, and short, 
nostrils more or less distended, one leg or ear hot, and the other 
cold. 

(3.) After a time the coldness is succeeded by great heat and 
thirst, costiveness, urine scanty and hi°;h-colored, mouth hot and 
dry. 

(4.) When the fever has lasted for a longer or shorter time, 
the skin becomes more moist, the bowels and kidne) r s act more 
freely ; the pulse becomes more full, although not less frequent, 
and the mouth more moist. 

When fever is accompanied with disease of the lungs, liver, or 
other organ of the body, or after an accident of any severity, it is 
then called symptomatic fever. 

Fever is called idiopathic, when not accompanied by disease or 
accident. From the days of Galen to the present time, of the 
many theories advanced -to explain its proximate cause, none seem 
to satisfy the philosophical student, and all belong to the unsolved 
problems in physiology. 

Diseased Secretion. — A good example of what is here meant may 
be found in the discharges from the nose of animals affected with 
cold, influenza, and glanders. The salivary gland may secrete too 
much fluid, as horses eating second crop clover. We call this 
salivation. 

Increased Secretion. — In health, serum is only supplied in suffi- 
cient quantity to keep the surfaces moist, the absorbent vessels 
preventing accumulations. In the cavities of joints this secretion 
is often too large, causing enlargements, of which a very good ex- 
ample may be seen in swellings of the hock-joint, called bog 
spavin, and also in thorough-pin. 

The Pulse. 

The pulse of the horse and the ox is felt on the inner angle af 



-273- 

the lower jaw, as being the most convenient place. The state of 
the pulse tells the condition of the heart, whether the disease ia 
of an exalted or depressed character, or whether sickness is at all 
present. The pulse is more frequent in young than in old animals. 
In the full-grown and healthy horse it beats from thirty-two to 
thirty-eight in a minute ; in the ox or cow, thirty-five to forty- 
two ; in the sheep, seventy to seventy-five ; and in the dog, from 
ninety to ninety-eight. In inflammation and fevers the frequency 
of the pulse is increased. In debility and depression it is slower, 
but sometimes quicker than natural. There are the quick pulse, 
the strong, the sharp, the regular, the intermittent, and many 
other varieties, both fanciful and real, which few persons can ap- 
preciate. The pulse of inflammation and fever numbers from 
Beventy-five to eighty beats in the minute ; and in great debility, 
as in the la3t stage of glanders, accompanied with tubercles of the 
lungs, the pulse will number one hundred beats per minute. 

Breathing. 

A good-eized, healthy horse will take one inspiration to three 
of the pulse beats. When the breathing is more frequent or 
■lower, and when irregular, or difficult and laborious, there is then 
disease ; although we sometimes see the breathing quickened and 
short, when no disease is present. Both the pulse and the breath- 
ing will be quickened by exposure to heat, as a stable up-stairs, 
and exposed to an August sun. By removing the animal to a 
stable not so situated, the breathing and the pulse will be greatly 
lessened. Hence the advantage of placing animals in a cool and 
airy place when they are unwell. It saves a great waste of their 
strength and vitality, thereby enabling them to throw off the effects 
of disease. 

Treatment of Disease. 

The antiphlogistic plan of treating disease was derived from a 
theory now entirely exploded, and almost forgotten. Repeated 
bleedings, blistering, physicking, and starving on low diet, are 
some of the measures entering into the general plan which has 
destroj'ed more life and property than all the wars, ancient or 
modern. 

Bleeding, in domestic practice, is almost discarded, and in 



— 274 — 

veterinary practice it should never have been employed. And If 
this fact shall be the means of opening the eyes of those interested 
(and who is not?) in the health of the animals supplying us with 
meat, and the horse (a willing and a faithful help), to the injury 
done by bleeding in health or disease, the writer will have his re- 
ward. Avoid these measures, and substitute a rational and suc- 
cessful system of treating the diseases of your animals. Ascertain 
whether your horse is suffering from a disease of an exalted or 
inflammatory kind ; substitute aconite, pure air, and cold water for 
bleeding, and in a few hours you will have no cause to regret the 
change. If the disease be of a depressed kind, accompanied with 
weakness and debility, give nux vomica, iron, and generous diet. 
If the disease be an eruptive fever, give sulphite of soda to purify 
the blood. In rheumatism, administer colchicum and carbonate 
of soda. In mange, apply the suhphuret of potassa to the skin, 
and thereby destroy the small insects which Cause the trouble. 

In hard swellings use the preparations of iodine, to cause their 
absorption. In lameness, allow absolute and entire rest, and apply 
hot or cold applications and slight irritants to the parts, to remove 
the products of the sprain. Ascertain the cause of disease, and 
having found it, have it removed, and the effects will cease. If 
the animal be costive from eating dry, concentrated feed, remove 
it, and give green feed or bran, but do not give physic. If 
diarrhoea be present, leave it, at least for a time, to itself, as it is 
nature's plan of getting rid of the offending matter. But, if it 
should continue, chalk and opium, as an astringent, are what is 
wanted. The reader cannot fail to see how simple, and his experi- 
ence will demonstrate how successful these measures are in arrest' 
ing and curing the disease of all our domestic animals. 

How Diseases are Cured without Medicine. 

Intelligent persons have no difficulty in recognizing in the con- 
stitutions of animals and men a power of self-restoration, which 
is capable of resisting the influence of disease. It is this power 
that heals wounds, unites broken bones, and supplies lost sulj 
stances. Diseases are not unfrequently efforts in this direction, 
intended to stay the action of hurtful material when admit + ed into 
the oysteaa, When the eye, for instance, receives a particle of 



- 275 — 

aand or hay-seed, the weeping of the secretions of pus are reme- 
dial measures to rid it of the offending matter. Poisons are good 
examples of the manner in which animals will cure themselves. 
When poison is taken into the stomach, irritation of the bowels i» 
set up, followed by purging, as an effort to get rid of the poison. 
Nature, however, is not always successful, and the animal may die 
from the violent action set up. Again, a sprain will be cured by 
this very power, provided absolute and entire rest be allowed to 
the sprained part without any interference from medicine or art. 
The remedial powers of nature often require assistance, as, for in- 
stance, in cases of debility, when the blood is becoming too watery. 
A few doses of iron, and in many cases a little extra food, will 
enable the sanative powers of the constitution to effect a complete 
cure. Often the removal of an animal from the sphere of exciting 
causes of disease, will cause the effect to cease, and the power of 
nature will cure the affection. Hence, many persons reflect upon 
the many instances when apparently severe cases of sickness were 
cured by some simple substance, and much credit given to a 
power it never possessed. Where the powers of nature are left to 
perform a cure, let the strength of the animal be maintained, be- 
cause if that fail, where is the chance of recovery ? Blood-letting 
and physicking are powerful and depressing agents ; so much so, 
that when carried to any extent, few, if any animals, by the little 
power that may be left, will cure themselves. It is this knowledge 
that enables Homoeopathists to continue practice; for if it were 
not for this power in the constitution in each and every animal, 
Homoeopathists would have long since ceased to practise their 
peculiar art. If farmers and owners of horses and cattle will only 
cease to bleed, and pour nostrums down the throats of their stock, 
and learn to rely more upon the great curative that God has im- 
planted in the constitution of all His creatures, as a power in 
protecting their lives when attacked by disease, it will surely be 
infinitely more profitable and pleasant to them. In curing disease, 
medicine and art should be directed to assist the powers of nature 
to overcome disease — nothing more. 

Nature, Symptoms, Cause, and Treatment. 

An alphabetical classification of disease is the only arrangement 



adapted to popular instruction and domestic use. As some dis- 
eases have more than one common name, a few references are all 
that may be necessary to find the particular disease wanted. In 
every disease the treatment I have first recommended should be 
tried ; and if it be not successful, the next in order will be taken. 
Also begin with the smallest dose, increasing, diminishing, or 
withdrawing it altogether, as the case seems to require. I do not 
think it necessary to quote authorities to substantiate what is. said 
in regard to this or that medicine as a remedy, as the plans and 
remedies are those employed by the profession. 

Abrasion signifies to tear off, and is applied to the skin when 
it has been rubbed or torn off, and to the lining membranes of the 
nose. The treatment will be found under that of bleeding wounds. 

Abscess. — This is also called, by some persons, a beeling — a 
formation of matter or pus under the skin, as the result of inflam- 
mation, either acute or chronic. Sometimes absces3 in bone is 
seen, also of the liver and the brain ; and, indeed, no part o>* tissue 
of an animal is exempt from it. 

Symptoms. — Pain, heat and swelling ; a projection or prominence 
on the swelling from which the hair falls off, disclosing a yellow, 
white and soft part upon its apex. In a common abscess of this 
kind, it will only be necessary to hasten the formation of the pus 
by applying poultices of flaxseed or some other soft substance to 
the part, and when the point is soft and evidently contains fluid, 
make an opening on its lowest dependent point with a sharp knife, 
so that the discharge will flow out of itself, and then apply: 

Rain Water, ..... 1 ounce. 
Chloride of Zinc, .... 6 grains. 
Mix and apply to the wound twice a day. 

It is not advisable to open an abscess too soon, or before the pus 
has properly formed. (See articles on Strangles and Fistula.) 

Acari. — (See Mange.) 

Accidents. — When a horse falls whilst drawing a vehicle — 

1. Jump down and hold the animal's head, to prevent his dash- 
ing it about to his own injury. 

2. Loosen the check-rein (if you are so foolish as to uso one) and 
%kc parts of the harness which fasten on the vehicle. 



-277- 

3. Back the carriage, so as to get the shafts and traces clear. 

4. Steady and support the horse's head, and excite hirn, witik 
hand and voice, to rise, 

5. When you have got him up, pat and encourage the poor 
animal, and see if he is wounded, or otherwise injured. 

6. Let him stand still a short time to recover himself, and then 
proceed gently and with greater caution than before. (See Sprains. 
Bruises, Bleeding, and Wounds.) 

Aconite. — (See Medicines.) 

Alteratives. — This term is not very scientific, but it is in very 
general use, and easily explains its own meaning, though th 
modus operandi of the drugs employed to carry it out is not so 
clear. The object is to replace unhealthy action by a healthy one, 
without resorting to any of the distinctly-defined remedies, such 
as tonics, stomachics, etc. As a general rule, this class of remedies 
produce their effect by acting slowly but steadily on the depuratory 
organs, as the liver, kidneys, and skin. The following may be 
found useful for general use : 

Black sulphuret of antimony, . . « 2 to 4 drachma 

Sulphur, 2 drachms. 

Nitre 2 drachms. 

Tp be given mixed in cut feed at night only. 

Amaurosis. — Glass eye. (See Eye Diseases.) 

Anaemia. — Deficient or bad blood. 

Anchylosis. — (See Spavin and Open Joints.) 

Aneurism. — A pulsating tumor, produced by the rupture of 
the inner coats of the vessel, and the blood getting between it and 
ihe outer coat. They manifest themselves in many parts of the 
body. An expert surgeon is only capable of remedying it, as great 
danger of bleeding to death would result from opening a tumor of 
this kind. 

Apoplexy. — Symptoms. The animal falling suddenly, loss of 
feeling and the power of motion, and breathing deep and slow. In 
most cases the horse gets up again, shakes himself, and proceeds ou 
his journey almost as if nothing had happened, but it will shortly 
be seen that the animal is not so lively as formerly, &vA that it will 



— 278 — 

afterwards be unsafe to use him, especially for a family carriage, 
as in a fit of this kind the horse may become entirely unmanage- 
able, and can only be controlled by a power stronger than his own. 
Horses subject to disease of this kind will, at times, be observed 
to look sleepy, with a slight knuckling of the hind pastern-joints, 
accompanied with stiffness of the hind quarters and lopping of the 
ears. All these symptoms are seen in brain diseases, as Staggers, 
Megrims, and Epilepsy. (Which see.) 

Causes. Breaking of a blood-vessel, effusion or water on the 
brain, producing pressure, too small a collar on a thick-necked 
horse, interfering with a free circulation of the blood to and from 
the head, effects of the sun — sunstroke. (Coup-de-soleil.) 

In severe cases of Apoplexy, many never had the use of their 
legs again, by their remaining palsied. (See Palsy.) 

Treatment. Apply chopped ice to the head, in bags, and secured 
by proper fixings. Keep up a free circulation in the legs by 
rubbing and woollen bandages, or warm water cloths, and renewed 
every half-hour. Then apply a small blister of 

Spanish Fly ..... J drachm. 
Hog's Lard . . . . . 2 drachms. 

Mix them well together, and rub the salve well in by the hand 
on the part just behind the ears. 

Do not bleed, as that measure will only insure effusion, and, aa 
in the brain, ultimately cause death or dumbness. (Which see.) 

If there be much exaltation or excitement, give fifteen drops of 
the tincture of aconite root every four hours, till five or six doses 
are taken. If the contrary condition be present, that is, depres- 
sion, give from ten to fifteen drops of the tincture of nux vomica 
four times a day, for a few days, or a week, if necessary. These 
medicines are best given in cold water, when the animal will drink 
it; if not, mix with a cup of water, and drench out of a stout- 
necked bottle. Feed the horse generously and well. 

Aphtha. — (See Mouth Diseases.) 

Atrophy. — Wasting and shrinking of a part of the muscle, aa 
is seen in sweenie of the shoulder; consumption and disease of 
the mesen^ry, and also palsy or paralysis of the hind legs, from 
which the muscles of the hip will be seen to have fallen away. 



— 279 — 

Causes. The parts deprived of their proper use, action oi 
function. A long-continued corn on the foot of a horse, depriving 
him of the proper use of that limb, will cause shrinking of the 
subscapularis muscle of the shoulder. 

Treatment. Removal of the cause, and restoring the functions 
of the parts to their proper condition. In case of many joint 
diseases, it will be necessary to have the horse walked before he is 
cured, to prevent too much wasting of the parts from long standing 
»nd want of use. 

Back Sinuses. — (See Sprain.) 

Baldness. — (See Skin Diseases.) 

Belly-ache. — (See Colic.) 

Big Head. — (See Osteoporosis.) 

Bishoping. — Bishoping is the name of an operation performed 
upon the front or nipper teeth of horses that are more than eight 
years old, for the purpose of imitating the mark of the teeth of 
young horses, in order to deceive those persons who are supposed 
to be poor judges in the age of horses. It can rarely deceive any 
person of ordinary intelligence. The general appearance of the 
horse will soon tell if he be an old or young animal. 

Bite of Mad Dog. — When any reasonable suspicion exists 
that the dog is mad, have the parts completely washed out with 
cold water, if possible forced with a syringe or hydrant, so as the 
water will find its way to the bottom of the wound, and wash out 
any virus that may have lodged there. 

If the bite be upon the leg of man, horse or other animal, or 
man's arm or finger, a Tourniquet or soft rope or cord should be 
tied tightly around the leg above the bite, till other measures are 
used to have the bite purified. After the cord is properly applied, 
have the parts washed out ; next either cut a portion of the flesh 
from the top, sides and bottom of the wound, or apply caustic to 
the parts. The nitrate of silver is possibly the best for this pur- 
pose. A few drops of nitric, hydrochloric or sulphuric acid may 
be dropped into the wound, and by the burning properties of these 
articles the destructive character of the poison will be destroyed. 

After these measures have been satisfactorily performed, the 
wounds should be treated as for common wounds with simple 
ointment (see Prescriptions and Medicines). The bite of other 

19 



— 280 — 

rabid or poisonous animals should be treated in the same manner. 
Persons have been bold enough to have allowed themselves to be 
bitten by mad dogs no less than seven times, and then applying 
the nitrate of silver as a caustic to the bites, never became affected 
with the canine disease. However, too much dependence should 
not be placed in any one measure as a protection in such cases. 
The great protection is, do not allow yourself to be bitten at all, if 
it can be avoided. 

Bites from a healthy dog will never produce madness, even 
although the animal go mad in a year or two afterward, so keep 
your mind easy on that point. 

Bladder Diseases. — 1. Inflammation. — This condition of 
disease is sometimes met with, but is rare in horses. 

Causes. Irritating substances or foreign bodies in the bladder. 

Symptoms. Constant desire to make water, pain, straddling or 
walking wide with the hind legs, great tenderness under the belly. 

Treatment. Inject a little warm oil into the bladder. This can 
only be done by an expert and with a proper instrument. Give 
25 drops of the tincture of aconite root every four hours, till six 
doses are given, to keep down pain. Allow flaxseed tea to drink, 
or drench the horse with it, which has an excellent soothing effect. 
Give plenty of cold water to drink. 

2. Calculi. — This variety of stone is sometimes found in the 
bladder and kidneys of horses. This may be said to be the gravel 
of the horse, although not so common as in man, but is equally 
troublesome and requires for its cure a formidable operation called 
Lithotomy, an operation of no great magnitude to an expert sur- 
geon, but can scarcely be undertaken by an unprofessional person, 
even though a description of it were given. 

Bleeding. — 1. Bleeding. — An operation for the drawing of blood 
from the body, either locally or generally. As before stated, it is 
almost entirely discarded from domestic practice, and should never 
be used in the treatment of diseases of animals, however much 
the adherent of an exploded and an erroneous system may 
doubt it. Medicines will be described in this book that will not 
only insure greater success in saving a very much greater percent* 
age of sick animals, and with less trouble in a much shorter time, 



— 281 — 

and without in any way impairing the sanative powers of the 
animal's constitution. 

2. Bleeding from Wounds. — If the wound he a simple one, 
and not on the inside of a leg where the large hlood vessels are 
situated, all that will he necessary to stop it will be a small piece 
of cotton or soft cloth placed in and over the wound, and secure 
it for a few hours by a broad bandage, not too tightly applied over 
it, or, if preferred, touch the mouth of the bleeding vessel with a 
piece of iron previously immersed in boiling water or in the fire 
itself. The surgeon's plan would be to get hold of the mouth 
of the vein or artery with a pair of artery forceps or small 
tongs, to hold it so that lie can tie a piece of saddler's silk around 
it. If the wound he on the inside of the hind or Core leg, and the 
blood of a scarlet color (see Blood), place pads of cloth and band- 
age pretty tightly over it, and run for a good surgeon, and tell 
him what the trouble is, so that he will go properly prepared for 
his work. 

3. Bleeding from the Air Passages and Lungs. — Observe 
the color of the blood discharged from the nose or mouth, as the 
veins of the lungs convey blood similar to the arterial blood of 
the other parts of the body. 

Causes. The laying bare, and the rupture of small vessels, and 
the structure of the lungs, breaking down as iu consumption, and 
some cases of glanders and coryza. 

Treatment. Support the strength by the mineral acids (see 
Acids), and small doses of aconite to lessen arterial circulation. 
Bear in mind in cases where the structure of the lungs is falling 
to pieces, no power or art can arrest it. Hence, the incurability 
of consumption. 

4. Bleeding from the Skin. — This disease is sometimes called 
purpura. 

Symptoms. After general uneasiness, some pain, fever, and 
swelling of the legs and other parts of the body; tumors, varying 
from the size of a cranberry to that of a pigeon's egg, often run- 
ning together, forming large patches from which blood is oozed 
out in great quantities, giving rise to much debility. The con- 
tagious typhus or rinderpest of cattle bears many resemblances to 
this disease of the horse. 



— 282 — 

« 

Treatment, Feed the animal on the best food that can be pro* 
cured, and put forty drops of commercial sulphuric acid in half a 
bucket of cold water three to four times in the day. Then get 
two ounces each of the sulphate of copper and gentian root in 
powder, and divide into eight powders, and give one night and 
morning in the feed. 

Apply to the bleeding surface and sores a liniment composed 
as follows : Olive oil, three ounces ; creosote, one ounce ; mix and 
use once in the twenty-four hours. (See Mouth Diseases.) 

Bloody Urine. — (See Kidney Diseases.) 

Blood. — Blood is observed to be of two colors, namely, red, or 
almost of a bright scarlet. When blood -of this color is issuing 
from wounds in jets or jerks, it is considered more dangerous than 
if it were of a dark-red, or venous blood. The first is direct from 
the heart itself and the other is from a more remote and less dan- 
gerous part. 

It may be interesting to know that red globules are more plenti- 
ful in blooded or well-bred horses than in horses of a coarser 
kind, which accounts for a curious fact observed in the difference 
of vitality. Thus, a blooded horse bears up under diseased action, 
and is cured, whilst a western or common horse will die under the 
same disease. 

The fluid portion of blood is called liquor sanguinis, in which 
the red globules or spheres float. When blood is drawn from the 
body, it divides into two parts : the solid is called clot, and the 
other is the serum. This serum was once relied upon, and is still 
by the ignorant, as showing the existence of inflammation. It is 
by the blood that the strength, wear, and tear of the system is 
kept up. The heart is the organ by which the blood is forced 
through the body. If the blood be thin and watery, it is called 
hydronemia. (See Dropsy.) If pus be in the blood, it is then 
called -pyemia. (See Glanders.) 

Boiis. — (See Saddle or Harness Galls.) 

Bots. — (See Worms.) 

Bowels, Disease of. — (See Costiveness, Diarrhoea, and Dysen- 
tery. 

1. Inflammation op the Bowels. — Symptoms. Aeut^ pain in 
the belly, and continuous, getting no intervals of rest from the 



— 263 — 

pain. Rolling, pawing, and shifting about, sweating, and breath- 
ing fast, with great fever, exaltation,' and excitement. A fearful 
disease. Happily not so frequent as formerly. 

Can only be mistaken for colic (which see). In colic there are 
times of ease and pain, but never in this disease. 

Causes. Exposure to cold, drinking cold water in great quantities 
when hot, calculi, or hair balls in the bowels, costiveness, diarrhoea, 
and as a sequel to colic, lead and other poisons which see). 

Treatment. The first thing to be done is to lessen or destroy pain. 
Give a large dose of the tincture of aconite root, say thirty drops, 
to be repeated in two hours. Apply blankets wrung out of boil* 
ing water to the belly, and renew them in about twenty minutes. 
Give injections of ivarm not hot water, soap, and a handful of table 
salt every half hour. Continue the treatment while there is 
enough strength remaining. 

Bleeding will only insure and hasten death, and purgatives are 
too slow to act — the horse is either dead, or will be before any 
response can be had from them. 

Brain Diseases. — The brain and its coverings, or membranes, 
are subject to inflammations of every degree. (See Apoplexy and 
Staggers.) 

Breaking Down. — This accident means or consists in rupture 
of the tendons and ligaments, and occurs at once when the horse 
is at full speed. 

Symptoms. The horse stops suddenly, or perhaps stumbles and 
falls ; gets up but stands on his fetlocks, the toe of the foot turned 
up, and the sole of the foot, as it were, looking at you. 

Treatment. If the fetlock comes entirely to the ground, not much 
can be done ; and when it does not, contraction of the leg takes 
place, and requires division of the tendon. (See Tendeotomy.) 

Breathing Short. — This is a symptom of irritation, inflamma- 
tion, debility, weakness, oppressions of every kind, and fever 
(which see). 

Breeze Flies. — This is the fly supposed, but erroneously, to be 
the one that deposits the ova or eggs, which generate bots in horses. 
(See Worms.) 

Brittle Feet.— (See Foot Diseases.) 

Bronchi. — This term means the windpipe, and communicates 



— &S4 — 

and carries the atmosphere to and from the lungs. It is the seat of 
disease, and is affected more or less in all cases of colds and inflam- 
mations, whether of the lungs or the membranes — the pleura. 

Bronchitis. — Inflammation of the Air Passages or the 
Parts Enumerated Above. — This is a very common disease 
among horses, and is confounded by most horse doctors with 
inflammation of the lungs, distempers, and colds; whereas, it is 
distinguished from inflammation of the lungs by its seat, and 
from the others by as great a dissimilarit3\ 

Bronchitis occurs in various degrees of intensity, and should at 
least be described under two heads, notwithstanding the one 
distinction may run, as it does sometimes, into the other. 

1. Acute Bronchitis. — Symptoms. Ushered in by a chill, fever, 
harsh or painful cough, loss of appetite, heaving at the flanks, 
mouth hot and dry. In a day or so, a discharge of pus or matter 
will be observed from one or both nostrils. 

If bleeding, or other severe measures be used, the horse will as- 
suredly die, not so much from the disease, but from maltreatment. 
Better, in a disease of this kind, let nature have her way, and give 
the horse a chance for his life ; for in the other case, he has ab- 
solutety none whatever. 

Treatment. First, the horse should be treated as for fever. Place 
the horse in an open or airy place, embraced by the word " com- 
fortable." Obviously it would not be comfortable to place a sick 
horse in an open place, with the thermometer below zero. In 
July or August it will not be necessary to burden the animal with 
blankets. 

Give him from fifteen to twenty drops of the tincture of aconite 
root every four hours, till six doses are taken. This will relieve 
the fever, breathing, and the hot and dry mouth. Give plenty of 
cold water to drink, for pain and fever require plenty of fluid, as 
all the secretions are dried up. Let the animal have a little grass, 
if it can be got ; this will relax the bowels, and cool the stomach. 
On the second day, the following medicines may be given, that is, 
if they be necessary: Powdered gentian root, two ounces; pow- 
dered nux vomica, one ounce. Mix, and divide into six powders, 
and give one powder morning, noon and night. These medicines 
will prevent debility and depression, and the pouring out of fluid 



— 2S3 — 

or seruiii into the legs, sheath, belly and breast. After the fever 
has been removed, allow good feed, and a fair quantity of it. Such 
treatment will not only cure the horse in five or six days, but the 
horse is nothing the worse, beyond the loss of a few days' work. 

2. Chronic Bronchitis. — Symptoms. A confirmed cough, more 
or less severe, and a discharge from the nose. The cough worse in 
the morning, and after drinking water. 

Causes. Maltreatment of acute ca^es of bronchitis, and where 
the attack has been prolonged beyond a reasonable time, causing 
ulceration or thickening of the windpipe. 

Treatment. Give extract of belladonna, half drachm, powdered 
digitalis, half drachm, three'times in the day, morning, noon and 
night, for a few days. If no good seems to have been done, a 
different plan will have to be adopted, namely : feed the animal 
well, and give sulphate of iron, two drachms in powder; gentian 
root, two drachms in powder twice in the day for two weeks. By 
this time the absorbent system will be pretty powerful. Then 
apply the following salve or ointment, well rubbed in down the 
course of the windpipe, once in the week. Lard, one ounce; red 
iodide of mercury, one drachm. Mix. This will cause whatever 
thickening may exist to be absorbed or taken up. Lard or oil will 
have to be applied once per day on the place where the ointment 
was applied, to prevent the skin from cracking. If the animal bo 
debilitated, give occasionally sixty drops of commercial sulphuric 
acid in half a bucket of cold water to drink. 

Bronchocele. — Pronounced " Bronch-sm£," is an enlargement 
of the thyroid gland, and is situated on and in front of tho 
windpipe, about three inches from the lower jaw. In horses it is 
only an eye-sore or blemish. 

Causes. In the horse it is unknown, nor is it determined what 
office or use the thyroid gland performs in man or animals. 

Treatment. Apply with friction by the hand once a week, bin- 
iodide of mercury, one drachm ; hog's lard, one ounce. Mix, and 
make an ointment. Rub in a piece about the size of a hickory- 
nut over and around the enlargement. 

Broken Knees. — When a horse stumbles and falls upon his 
knees, and takes the hair and some of the skin off, this is called 
broken knees. 



— 286 — 

Treatment Wash and cleanse the parts from sand and dirt, and 
if the skin is ragged and torn, clip off with a good pair of scissors. 
After this is done, ascertain if there is any discharge from the sore 
of an oily substance, and if so get a smooth piece of iron, immerse 
it for ten minutes in boiling water, and apply it to the edges of the 
wound, so as to cause the parts to swell, and prevent the escape 
of the joint oil ; for if this be allowed to escape, the ends of the 
bones will come against one another. Irritation and inflamma- 
tion will be set up, and either destroy the life of the horse, or 
make an anchylosed or stiff joint. This is an important point to 
be observed, and that very early in all cases of broken knees or 
open joints wherever situated. After the hot iron has been ap- 
plied, use the following wash twice in a day : — Sulphate of zinc, 
half an ounce ; rain, or soft water, eight ounces. Mix. This will 
heal the sore, and prevent proud flesh from growing. This wash 
will answer for the more simple wound of the knee, and where 
there is no open joint. Do not apply bandages, as they will cause 
the whole leg to inflame and swell. Sometimes a kind of pouch 
will be formed by the lower edge of the wound, holding whatever 
pus or other fluid may escape. This pouch should be opened at 
its lowest bottom, so as to let the fluids out, and to prevent a 
bulge or permanent swelling remaining after the knee has other- 
wise healed. By attention to this, very little or no blemish or scar 
will be left to tell the tale of a stumbling horse, or a bad horse- 
man. 

Bruisds of the Sole. — (See Foot Diseases.) 

Burns and Scalds. — Injuries inflicted upon some parts of the 
body by the application of solid heat, is called burns ; by fluid 
heat, scalds. 

Treatment. ' In horses the treatment is chiefly local ; for in cases 
of fire in large cities, the generation of steam is sometimes so great, 
that it is inhaled by animals in the burning building : this is 
termed scalding. Not much can be done, nor is there much 
hope of a cure in cases of this kind. The utmost that can be done 
is to give plenty of cold water to drink, and keep down pain by 
means of aconite (which see). 

For burns the best application will be, one pint of linseed oil, 
and half a pint of lime water, stirred together, or rather wnipped 



— 287 — 

(as cooks usually do eggs), till the mixture is like thick cream. 
This is to be applied to the burned places, spread on cotton or 
linen rags, for a few days : then the sores are to be dressed with 
green ointment. (See Ointments.) 

Bursa Mucosa Enlarged. — (See Spavin and Wind Galls.) 

Calculi. — Stone in the bladder. 

Cancer. — This is a hard tumor, malignant in its character, at 
first small in size, but rapidly increases, and becomes ulcerated. 
The horse is not affected with so many varieties of cancerous 
growth as the ox and the dog, and even man himself. Melanotic 
cancer is most commonly seen in gray horses or those that turn 
white with age. A small hard tumor is usually seen under the 
root of the tail and about the anus. 

When tumors of this kind are seen on gray horses, it may rea- 
sonably be expected that growths of the same character will be 
found inside, on the spleen, stomach, and liver. Horses so affected 
may work well for years, and may not for a month. The tumors 
increase in size; when cut into, they discharge a fluid as black as 
the ink of the cuttle-fish. 

Causes. As this disease is not seen in young gray horses until 
the} 7 have almost turned white, it may be inferred that the cause 
results from the loss or want of the usual pigment, or coloring 
matter, which gives color to the hair, thus depriving the animal 
of some protection from the air or sun. I think, however, that 
the true cause will be found to be, not in the loss of the coloring 
matter, but of its transfer from the skin and hair to the blood. 
Hence the inky color of the contents of the tumors. This opinion, 
which is my own, is still further corroborated by the fact that if 
the pus be taken from an abscess and injected into the blood of a 
healthy animal, carbuncles containing pus will soon manifest 
themselves. 

Treatment Incurable ; but when one of these tumors breaks, 
treat it as an ordinary abscess (which see). 

Canine Rabies. — (See Hydrophobia.) 

Capped Elbow. — This is an enlargement on the point of the 
elbow, just behind the shoulder, and on the side of the chest; 
sometimes it is in the form of a simple abscess (which see). But 



— 2SS — 

the usual form is that of an encysted tumor, or a fluid contained 
within a cyst of fleshy walls, which do not suppurate. 

Cause. The horse, when lying, rests the point of the elbow upon 
the heels of his front shoe. It is a symptom of disease of the leg, 
preventing the animal from properly flexing or bending the leg 
proper upon its thigh or arm. Hence the elbow rests upon the 
foot. 

Prevention. Remove whatever disease may be in the leg, and 
place a pad of leather, or of coarse, heavy cloth, over the back 
part of the foot. Pads are made by harness makers. 

Treatment. Make an incision with a sharp knife through the 
skin, over the centre of the swelling, and carefully dissect the cyst 
from its attachments. This can be done with the fingers and a 
blunt piece of wood, flattened at its points like a butter knife, and 
no sharper. If the operator be timid, and think he cannot cut 
the cyst out, open it, and let out the matter, and inject, once per 
day, a little tincture of iodine, to kill the walls of the cyst, so that 
it will not fill again. (See Medicines.) A knife is only wanted 
to cut the skin. After the tumor is taken out, treat the part as a 
simple wound, by keeping it clean, and applying a solution of 
zinc, or blue stone. 

Chapped Hock. — This is a soft swelling on the point of the 
hock-joint. 

Causes. Kicking in the stable or in harness, lying upon stone- 
paved stalls, and from being kicked by any other horse. 

Treatment. Apply cold water cloths to the part for a few days, 
taking them off at night. After the heat and tenderness have 
subsided, apply, with rubbing, once every fifth day, for three 
times, if it be necessary, an ointment composed of one drachm of 
iodide of mercury , ^.-t J hog's lard, one ounce. Mix. 

Carditis. — This is applied to disease of the heart. Heart 
disease is also known as the Thumps. Incurable. (See Heart 
Disease.) 

Caries. — This term means an ulceration of the bone. The most 
frequent form of cories is seen on the lower jaw-bone; the teeth 
are next affected. If the upper teeth be ulcerated to any extent, 
a fetid (stinking") discharge will run from the nostril upon the side 
on which the diseased teeth are situated, which has been re- 



" — 280 — 

peatedly mistaken for glanders by " horse doctors." If caries of 
the bones of the head exist, the swelling of the head will be enor- 
mous — Big-Head, or Osteoporosis — and not Osteosarcoma, as it has 
been called. 

Cause. A disposition in the system to appropriate to the bones 
more calcareous or earthy matter than is required. 

Treatment. If caries be confined to the teeth, have them taken 
out. When confined to the bones of the head, it is incurable. 
The animal will die of hunger, as he is unable to use his tongue 
and jaws, or gather and chew his feed. Happily, it is not a com- 
mon disease. 

Castration. — This is an operation for the purpose of depriving 
the horse-colt of his entirety by the removal of the testes. It is a 
«?imple and safe operation. Any person having once seen it done, 
can do it also, if he have the resolution to do so. It has been 
recently demonstrated that castration can be performed on aged 
horses with as much safety as on those in colthood. This is attrib- 
uted to the mode or manner of operation, namely, by an instru- 
ment called the Ecraseur. 

No clamps, no firing nor twitching, nor any trouble afterward. 
The instrument is manufactured especially for this purpose, by 
surgical instrument makers. 

Cataract. — (See Eye Diseases.) 

Catarrh.— (See Cold.) 

Cautery. — This term is applied to the operation of searing a 
part with a red-hot iron. Happily, this cruel, and in many in- 
stances unnecessary operation, is becoming among the things that 
were. It used to be applied to sprains, ring-bones, and spavins. 
Since the discovery of the preparations of iodine, and their absorb- 
ent properties, the iron is little used. 

Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis. — (See Typhosus.) 

Chest Diseases. — The diseases of the chest are many and im- 
portant. In it are the heart, lungs, and great blood vessels. The 
diseases of these organs will be found under Inflammation of the 
lungs, or Lung Fever, Pleurisy, Coughs, Bronchitis, and Glanders. 

Chest Founder. — (See Founder.) 

Chilblains. — (See Frost-Bites. ) 

Chill.— This term means a shiver, as if the horse were cold. 



- 290 — 

This is the way many diseases and fevers are u&hered in. If the 
chill be checked soon, it will stop, in many cases, the disease that 
was forming. For this purpose, give twenty drops of the tincture 
of aconite root in a wine-glassful of water, and pour down the 
throat, out of a short- necked bottle ; cover the body with a blanket, 
and rub the legs to bring the circulation to the surface of the body, 
and all will be well. 

Choking. — Choking very rarely occurs in horses ; very fre- 
quently in cattle.-. If choking should occur in the horse, there is 
little chance or hope of saving his life, if he be a spirited animal, 
and the substance be high in the gullet. In a very extensive 
practice, embracing many years, I have never seen a case of chok- 
ing in the horse, except on a few occasions, and then it was only a 
ball of aloes sticking in the throat. If a ball of any thickness 
stick in its passage to the stomach, and it have passed down some 
distance, it is called low choke, and is not so dangerous, as if it 
stick in the entrance to the gullet — high choke. 

Treatment. In low choke press down with the hand over the 
substance in the gullet, and try to move it. Do this not too 
strongly, but continue it for a time. If unsuccessful, one pint of 
fish, sweet, or linseed oil, melted lard, or syrup of any kind, will 
be apt to move the substance on its way down. If these should 
fail, after a good trial, then have the gullet opened right over the 
substance, and take it out, and put in one, two, or three stitches^ 
with strong saddlers' silk. Make the stitches separately from each 
other ; for if this be not done, and one break, the others will also 
become loose. 

In high choke, the irritation and excitement are great, which 
prevent much being done to relieve the animal. Try the oil, and 
see what can be done in that way. The treatment is purely 
mechanical, so use ingenuity to overcome the difficulty. 

Chorea. — This is a rare disease in the horse, but common in 
dogs. It accompanies cases of madness in all animals, and depends 
upon nervous excitement, which is seen in the constant twitch- 
ing of the muscles of the body. It is clearly sympathetic in ita 
character. 

Treatment. Removal of the cause, whatever that may be. 

Cold. — Symptoms. Cough slight, fever, and discharge more or 



-291- 

less from one or both nostrils, sometimes of a thin, watery material 
or a thick, creamy pus. The lining membrane of the nose is red 
and inflamed. Cold sometimes even extends into the throat and 
lungs, giving rise to quickened breathing and uneasiness. When 
it extends to th^ stomach, it is called by the French gastritis mucosa. 
When it spreads to the chest, it is called bronchitis (which see). 
No disease is more common than cold among young horses ; but, 
unfortunately, it rarely runs its course as such. Cold assumes one 
or more of the forms just mentioned. 

Came. Exposure to cold and stormy weather. 

Treatment. In Germany, it is said, that a cold, if let alone, will 
get well in a fortnight, and if treated by a skilful doctor, he will 
cure it in fourteen days. However, give the animal a few doses 
of aconite (see Medicines), to remove the fever, and, if possible, to 
prevent complications, or its further spread to the neighboring 
parts. If the appetite keep good, nothing more need be done ; 
but, on the contrary, if the breathing quicken, and the appetite be 
poor, and debility be setting in, tonics and stimulants will be 
necessary. Get the following medicine, and give one powder, 
morning, noon, and night, mixed with a little cold water, and drench 
the horse with it : Take powdered gentian root, powdered pimenta 
berries, powdered carbonate of ammonia, of each two ounces. 
Mix, and divide into twelve powders. When the appetite im- 
proves, give good feed, but not by any means in sufficient quan- 
tity to bring on digestion. Give green feed, if it can be had. This 
is a most simple and successful plan of treating common cold. 

Cold Lotions. — These are now called refrigerant lotions. Ice- 
water, makes a good and economical refrigerant, when applied to a 
sprain. (See Prescriptions and Medicines.) 

Colic. — (1.) Spasmodic Colic. — Symptoms. All at once the horse 
that a few moments ago was well, apparently, shakes his head — 
leaves his feed, looks round at his flank, mostly at the right side, 
as if pointing out the seat of the disease, scrapes the ground with 
his front foot, and almost strikes his belly with one of the hind 
ones. The spasm continuing, the horse breaks out into a sweat, 
heaving at the flanks; great excitement, kicking and rolling; 
intervals of ease from pain. 

Causes, Drinking cold water when heated, or colder water than 



-292 — 

commonly used, as a city horse is used to drinking water which is 
warmer in summer, and colder in winter, than water taken from a 
pump ; washing the belly with cold water ; driving horses into a 
pond of cold water. 

Treatment. Give something to heat the stomach and bowels. 
Try a bottle of warm ale or porter, adding a little whiskey, or a 
teaspoonful of ground ginger to it. If relief be not obtained in half 
an hour give a drench, composed of tincture of aconite root, 
twenty-five drops ; spirit of turpentine, one ounce ; one bottle of 
cold ale or porter. If necessary, give injections of warm water 
(not hot), soap, and a handful of table salt. Occasionally walk the 
horse about, to excite the bowels to action. 

(2.) Steecoral Colic. — Symptoms. Similar to the above variety, 
but continues longer, and is not quite so severe or painful. 

Causes. Impaction or constipation of the bowels. 

Treatment. Powdered aloes, one ounce ; tincture of aconite root, 
twenty-five drops ; chloroform, half an ounce. Mix in a bottle of 
ale or porter, and give in a drench out of a horn, or stout bottle. 
The aconite will have to be given every four hours, till the pain 
has given way. Encourage the operation of the aloes by injections 
every hour. 

(3.) Flatulent Colic — Symptoms. Pain is considerable at first, 
which in a few hours gives way to sleepiness (see Coma). This is 
caused by distension of the bowels with gas, commonly called 
wind, thereby paralyzing the par vagus and nerve centres, and 
ultimately the brain itself. This variety of colic is readily distin- 
guished from the others by the swelling of the belly, particularly 
at the flanks, called tympanitis, or drum-belly. 

Causes. Indigestion of food in the stomach ; fermentation is set 
up, and there is evolution (giving forth) of carbonic acid gas. This 
gas is not liberated per rectum from the body a3 speedily as 
generated. The horse and cow cannot belch or eruct wind from 
their stomachs as man and the dog can ; hence the frequency of 
tympanitis in horses and cows. 

Treatment. Try injections first, as in many cases I have cured 
this variety by this means alone. If gas or wind come away with 
the injection, the case will soon end well. When no bjhefit is de- 
rived from the injections, give, in a little cold water, aloes in pow- 



— 293 — 

der, one ounce; sulphuric ether, one ounce; tincture of opium, 
two ounces. If these measures fail in giving ease from pain, pout 
two ounces of chloroform on a small moist sponge, and hold it to 
the nostrils, not too closely, but admit a portion of air with the 
fumes of the chloroform (see Medicines). The sponge .may be 
placed in a towel, and the ends carried up around the nose of the 
horse, to save waste ; or place the sponge in the bottom of a nose- 
bag, and put it on the head, but not too close upon the nose. 

Last Remedy. It must be confessed that the longer this disease is 
unrelieved, the more remote is the chance of recovery, as the bowel 
sometimes contracts upon itself, or nearly closes altogether. To 
overcome this condition an operation is recommended, which I do 
not say will be a success, nor yet a failure. Wher it failed in my 
hands, it was not because the gas was not let out of the bowels, 
but because the blood had become so disintegrated, and the ner- 
vous centres so paralyzed that ihe sanative powers of the consti- 
tution had received too great a shock to ever rally again. 

The Operation. Procure an instrument (See Instruments), called 
a trocar. If this be not at hand, sharpen a breakfast knife, and 
measure an equal distance from the haunch bone and the short 
rit), and not too high upon the back ; force the knife into the dis- 
tended bowel, and turn the knife in Ihe wound thus made, and 
hold it there until all the imprisoned gas has escaped ; and as the 
gas sometimes still accumulates, keep the knife or instrument in 
the wound, if it be for half a day. When the knife or instrument 
is taken out, place a piece of sticking plaster over the wound. 
(See Medicines.) — ~ 

Stones, or hair calculi, are often found, after death, in the bowels 
of horses subject to colic. I have seen six taken from u mare 
that I had under treatment. Remember, the great principle in 
the treatment of colic, in all its forms, is to relieve pain. This 
also holds good in most diseases of horses. The doctor, if he fail 
to allay pain, cannot cure the disease. 3 

Coma. — A horse is said to be in a comatose state when in an 
apoplectic fit, in sleepy staggers, and when dying from spasmodic 
colic (which see). 

Congestion of the Lungs. — (See Lung Diseases.) 

Constipation. — A confinad condition of the bowels aecompa- 



v _ 294 — 

nying fever, liver and lung diseases. Horses habitually costive 
should be supplied with soft feed and grass in season. Costive- 
ness, as a concomitant of fever, etc., should in all cases be let 
alone, as it is a provision of nature to protect herself from ex- 
haustion. 

Consumption. — Causes. Repeated attacks of influenza, lung 
fever, or bronchitis, or any of these diseases treated by bleeding, 
and other reducing remedies or agents. Consumption in the horse 
runs its course in from one to two weeks. 

Nature of Consumption. — A wasting, or breaking down of the 
structure of the lungs. The tuberculous form of consumption I 
have never seen in the horse. Tubercles are seen in bad cases of 
glanders (which see). These tubercles suppurate, and discharge 
pus. This pus is absorbed and taken into the blood, and sets up 
a ferment, or leaven, as the Scriptures call it. This is the great 
trouble in consumption in man, and glanders in the horse. Why 
authors have not called this tuberculous disease in horses, con- 
sumption, I do not know, except it be, and I am inclined to be- 
lieve it is, from an entire ignorance of its true pathology or 
character. 

Treatment. Incurable. To prolong the life, beef soup, iron, 
gentian, tonics and stimulants, are indicated. In the tuberculous 
form, sulphite of soda should be given to arrest the ferment, and 
keep the blood clear of impurities, in addition to the remedies to 
support the strength. (See Medicines.) Decay, putrefaction, fer- 
mentation, are true and scientific expressions, with no vague 
meaning. Such, then, are the conditions embraced in the word 
consumption, whether in men or animals. 

Contagion. — This term is applied to something (as the virus 
of Glanders), coming in contact with the body of an animal in 
health, producing a similar disease to that existing in the animal 
from which it came. In a word, it is a specific poison. Few dis- 
eases of animals are considered contagious. The following diseases 
are, however, considered of that character: — Glanders, in houses; 
contagious typhus and small pox, in cattle and sheep. Although 
many animals may be taken sick one after another, this: as no 
proof that the disease is contagious ; for it must be remembered 
(hat a number of animals, all situated and cared for in Ute same 



*ay, are certainly subjected to the same exciting causes that pro- 
duced the disease in the first animal affected. Those that escaped 
the disease were not predisposed to take it; hence their exemp- 
tion from its effects. 

Prevention. Separate the sick from the well. All buckets, or 
other materials, that wore in contact with the sick, must be thor- 
oughly cleansed and purified. (See Disinfectants.) 

Contraction. — (See Foot Diseases.) 

Convalescence. — A term applied to the time which elapses 
between the controlling of acute disease, and the restoration of 
the patient to perfect health. 

Corns. — (See Foot Diseases.) 

Coryza Gangrenosa. — This name is applied to an ulcerated 
condition of the membrane of the nose supervening in a case of 
cold. It is evidence of general debility, and disintegration or 
deterioration of the membrane. 

Corrosive Sublimate. — (See Medicines and Poisons.) 

Cough. — A symptom' of disease of the respiratory organs, as 
tubercles of the lungs, thickening of the lining membranes of the 
windpipe, and enlargement of the glands of the neck. I have 
seen cough from indigestion in a few cases, but this is rare in 
horses. 

Cough, Chronic. — Causes. — Debility, or softening of the par 
vagus nerves ; heaves, or broken wind (which see), are some of 
the causes which produce acute cough. 

Treatment. Removal of whatever is the cause (causa sublata 
tulitur effectus). 

Counter-irritants. — An external application, which, when 
applied, causes an irritation or inflammation counter or opposite 
to that which exists inside. 

Cow Hock. — This name is applied to a condition or malforma- 
tion of those hocks that incline forward, thus forming a fulcrum, 
over which the posterior straight ligament passes — this condition 
favoring a sprain of the ligament, which is called curb. (See 
Curb.) 

Cramp. — Cramp of the stomach or bowels of horses cannot 
readily be distinguished from spasmodic colic (which see). 

Champ of the Hind Leg. — This affection is common among 



— 298- 

young "horses of an irritable temperament. It is often mistaken 
for dislocation of the patella, sometimes called luxation of the 
petella (which see). 

Symptoms. The horse will persistently refuse to move the leg 
from the position in which it is placed. Quivering or excitement 
of the muscles of the thigh, accompanied with irritation and fever. 
The horse cannot be moved, as he refuses to do so. 

Causes. Irregularity of the nervous system. 

Treatment. Move the animal, if it be possible, and the cramp 
will give way. Dashing cold water against the thigh will often 
remove it. The horse will get well, if time be only given him. 
Thus, if a person leave the stable to tell some one of the matter, 
he will be surprised, on coming back, to find the horse well. 

Crib-Biting. — This is not a disease, but a vice — a bad habit, 
which the horse has learned, of sucking wind into the stomach by 
placing his lips against the manger. The habit has been so strong' 
in some horses, that when they could get no place to press the lips 
against, they have stooped down and placed the lips against the 
arm of their own front leg. This vice is sometimes called wind- 
sucking. 

Causes. Idleness, indigestion, and learning it from other animals 
in the same stable. 

Prevention. Keep horses in loose boxes, or other places where 
there are no fixtures but the walls ; regular feed and regular work. 

Treatment. Do not let the horse stand in the stable twenty 
hours out of *he twenty -four. Feed, him regularly, and work him 
as regularly. Turn the animal to pasture, and when he is brought 
home in the fall of the year, have a loose box prepared for him 
without nny fixtures, as manger, trough, or rack. Place his hay 
upon the floor, and his oats or corn in a small trough, and remove 
it as soon as the feed is eaten. 

Curb. — One of the many diseases of the hock-joint, and consists 
in a swelling immediately below the point of the hock -joint, and 
is the result of sprain of the posterior straight ligament; is more 
frequent in horses with the hocks inclining forward (cow hock). 
The treatment best adapted is the ointment of the r^d iodide of 
mercury (see Ointments), which is not only a counter-irritant, but 
a sorbefacient. Apply about the size of a hickory-nut in quantity 



— 697 — 

every sixth day for a few weeks, occasionally greasing or oiling 
the parts to prevent the skin cracking. 

Curby-Hocked. — (See Cow Hock.) 

Cutaneous Diseases. — (See Skin Diseases.) 

Cutting. — (See Interfering.) 

Death. — The great law of the universe makes limits of duration 
to every structure endued with life, and prepares a way for the 
resolution of every material provided with vital principles into 
matter of the earth. The individual existence of all organized 
bodies is merely temporary ; none escape the necessity of per- 
ishing. 

Debility. — This is a condition accompanying many diseases, 
hence the necessity of guarding against any measure in the treat- 
ment, even of a disease of an exalted kind that will reduce the 
strength. The animal thus affected rapidly becomes weak and 
debilitated, to such an extent as may cost it its life. 

(1.) Debility, Simple. — May be local, that is, confined to a part, 
as in partial paralysis, from the effects of a blister applied to a 
part, or from a kick or injury. 

Symptoms. A thickening or swelling of the parts. The swelling 
is not inflammatory, but soft, and contains fluid. ((Edema.) 

Treatment. Powdered sulphate of iron, one ounce and a half, 
gentian root, two ounces ; chlorate or nitrate of potassa, one ounce. 
Mix, and divide into twelve powders, and give one night and 
morning mixed in cut or soft feed, with no more water in the feed 
than will keep the particles together. Feed the animal generously 
and well. Debility and swelling of the legs of horses now-a-days, 
at least in this country, can be produced by simply keeping a 
portion of their usual feed from them for two or three days. 

(2.) Debility, General. — Symptoms. Swelling of thelegs, sheath, 
breast, and belly. Disturbed breathing. The horse is very weak, 
and easily pushed from off his feet by the hand. Indeed, he 
staggers as he walks, and sometimes falls to the ground. 

Causes. Bleeding or giving physic (a purge) in the treatment 
of disease, especially in diseases of the chest. Starving and low 
diet given to a sick horse, when he should be supported in the 
midst of his sickness by good feeding. The very neglect, or want 
of knowledge on this point, has killed thousands of horses that 



— 298 — 

would have lived, that have been sacrificed at the shrine of 
ignorance, error, and bad judgment. This condition of things in 
relation to the treatment of diseases of the horse, and indeed all 
our faithful animals, may be ascribed largely to the diligence and 
persistence of American publishers in deluging the country with 
reprints of old English books that should never have been written. 

Treatment. Give plenty of good food to the maltreated animal, 
and give the following blood-making medicines : — Powdered sul- 
phate of iron, three ounces ; gentian root, three ounces. Mix, and 
divide into twenty-four powders, and give one powder night and 
morning. If there is much swelling about the body, add five 
grains of powdered Spanish fly to the evening powder, for a few 
nights only. Be assured the animal is fully restored before it is 
put to hard work. 

Deformities. — In young colts will often be observed a deform- 
ity of one or both fore legs from the knee down, giving the whole 
appearance an awkward look. Farmers having such a colt should 
not think it useless, or at all impaired ; for in my own extensive 
practice, I have not seen one that did not become as perfect as the 
best formed of animals. 

Observe. — Whether the mother have sufficient milk for the colt, 
and if not, teach the colt to suck milk out of a bottle, or from 
something else ; for by good nourishment these deformed condi- 
tions of the legs will disappear. 

Deuteropathia. — A disease of secondary character, or in sym- 
pathy with another. (See Fever.) 

Diabetes. — This is a disease accompanied by a great and fre- 
quent flow of urine, containing sugar in solution. 

Causes. The starch, and some constituents of the food are 
transferred into sugar. The origin of this affection is supposed to 
be a ferment changing the material of the system into sugar, as 
diastase converts starch into sugar in malting. 

Symptoms. Great flow of clear urine, very great thirst, ravenous 
appetite, weakness and general debility. 

Treatment.' Although this disease is considered incurable, I 
have on two occasions cured the animal by the iodide of iron, too 
expensive a medicine to be recommended for general use. The 
action of this medicine, at least the iodide portion, allayed the 



— 293 — 

thirst, and the iron supported the strength and system, also acting 
as an astringent (to dry up). 

This medicine should be seconded by good feeding and plenty 
of it. (See Iodide of Iron in Medicine List.) 

Diaphoretics. — This term is applied to medicines having the 
power of producing sweating. The horse is not easily acted upon 
in this way by the use of medicines, except by one or two articles, 
as aconite or veratrum (which see). Slight moisture on the skin 
is very desirable in cases of fever. The cold water douche is used 
by hydropaths for this purpose. 

When sweating is desired for the cure of disease, it must be 
done without increasing the heart's action. This is the great 
secret in producing diaphoresis. 

Diarrhoea. — (1.) Simple Diarrhcea consists of a looseness, or 
fluid condition of excrement, from something irritant in the 
bowels, and which does not freely pass away. When this condi- 
tion is present, and no pain, griping or pawing as in colic, it may 
be well let alone. 

(2.) Continued Diarrhoea. — This is often the case when irrita- 
tion does not pass away with the offending matter, and the bowels 
continue to discharge a thin fluid. There is slight pain or colic. 
When this is the case, suspect some irritant poison. (See Poison.) 

Treatment. From whatever cause the diarrhoea may arise, treat- 
ment that will allay pain is demanded. First. Give twenty to 
twenty-five drops of the tincture of aconite root in a little cold 
water. Then give the following powder every two hours, until a 
change for the better has taken place : — Prepared chalk, half an 
ounce ; catechu in powder, one drachm ; opium in powder, ten 
grains. Allow the animel plenty of water to drink, which will 
help to keep or allay irritation, or what disposition there may be 
to inflammation. Bran mashes should be given for a few days, so 
as to overcome the effects of so mucli drying or binding medicine. 
Cake meal, or ground flaxseed, will be an excellent assistant in 
this particular. 

Diathesis. — When we read in medical books of the word dia« 
thesis, it means a well-marked tendency in a disease by a corre- 
sponding diathesis: for example, a cancerous diathesis or an 
inflammatory diathesis. 



-soo— 

Diet. — The different articles used by the horse as food. 
Disinfectants. — French, Desinfectants; German, Faulnimoidrig* 

Substanzen. 

Disinfectants are such as remove the causes of infection, or any 
injurious taint. To accomplish this effect, disinfectants will have 
to embrace a class of substances known by the name of antiser> 
tics (agents which prevent animal or vegetable matter being de- 
composed), and deodorizers (agents which destroy hurtful or bad 
smells, when arising from decomposing material). 

(1.) Natural Disinfectants. — The atmospheric is the great 
disinfectant. The soil has been found a valuable disinfectant, de- 
composing animal matter with great quickness, and sending out 
gasses which are without taint of any kind. Hence, the neces- 
sity of deep burial of animals dying, or that have been killed, on 
account of contagious diseases. 

Ventilation is entirely a mechanical plan of disinfecting, and 
which it is in the power of every farmer in the land to more or 
less perfect in all buildings containing horses, cattle, etc. In ven- 
tilating, it is only necessary to admit the purest air, &nd for this 
purpose have the openings, or ventilators, placed at least eight to 
ten feet from the ground, as it is well known that heavy vapors 
are sometimes seen a few feet above the ground. Also, the ven. 
tilation should come from the front or top of the building, as tho 
back of a stable is never so pure as its front. 

Water is the next great disinfectant employed by nature, 
although moist bodies decay more rapidly than dry. It is a dis- 
infectant by the process of washing, which is mechanical. It is in 
this way that each shower of rain becomes a natural disinfectant. 
Light is another disinfectant, which seems to have been overlooked 
by many, when their barns and stables were built. Without light 
the rose would lose its color, and man and animals would lose and 
never attain their vigor. 

In proof of the advantage of light in maintaining health, and 
warding off disease, it is stated that in a barrack at St. Petersburg, 
there was only one case of disease on the side laid open to th« 
light, to three on the dark side. 

Heat and cold are two agents highly useful as disinfectants. 
Heat prevents fermentation and decay by drying and changing 



— 801 — 

the chemical state of substances, as it were, by cooking, whether 
by fire or the sun. Cold, again, is the most powerful antiseptic 
and disinfectant. Frosts prevent decay and disease, and at the 
same time share the connection existing between them. 

(2.) Artificial Disinfectants. — Creosote is a most powerful 
antiseptic and disinfectant, when applied to a part, but is not 
easily managed. Smoke is another good antiseptic, as it contains 
a little creosote. By it herring and other fish are preserved. 

Spices, and other aromatic substances have long been used as 
disinfectants, but they possess no such property, as they do not 
prevent decomposition of bodies ; they merely cover the smell. 

Chloride of lime and chloride of zinc act as good disinfectants. 

The chloride of manganese is certainly as economical a disin- 
fectant as can be used by the farmer. It is cheap and efficient, 
and not dangerous like chloride of zinc. 

Sulphurous acid, or rather its fumes, has, in all ages, been used 
as a disinfectant, and by general consent is considered to be most 
valuable. Its action on animal and vegetable substances is readily 
seen by the change in color produced. In the form of sulphite 
of soda, it will arrest the vinous fermentation in cider and other 
materials ; or if injected into the veins of dead animals, it em- 
balms them most perfectly. 

For stables and houses filled with animals nothing will answer 
so well as chloride of lime, or McDougal's disinfecting powders, 
applied to the floors and excrement once per day, with a large 
dredging box. 

For empty houses chloride of gas will be found as convenient 
and good as any. For this purpose procure a strong wide- 
mouthed bottle, fill it about half full of bin-oxide of manganese, 
close all the doors and windows, and other open places, then fill 
up the bottle with the spirits of salts, and retire and close the 
door. This may be repeated a few times in the course of a week. 
The fumes that are disengaged will penetrate to every crevice and 
corner in the building. This operation any farmer can perform 
himself, as there is no risk whatever. The spirits of salt will have 
to be kept in a glass-stoppered bottle till it is wanted, as it will not 
only eat a common cork, but it will, by exposure to the air, ab- 
stract moisture from it, by which it greatly loses its virtue and 



strength. As before stated, this plan of disinfecting is only to b« 
used when the house is empty. (.See Sulphurous Acid Gas m 
Part II.) 

Distemper. — (See Influenza and Strangles.) 

Distemper, Choking. — (See Typhosus.) 

Diuretics. — A name given to those medicines which cause ais 
increased secretion from the kidneys. Example, chlorate and 
nitrate of potassa, the Spanish fly, and eupurpurin. (See Medi- 
cines.) 

Dropsies. — Every school-boy is familiar with the term dropsy, 
which means an unnatural accumulation of water in the cavities 
ef the body, chest, heart-case, belly, breast, sheath, and cellular 
tissue of the legs. (See Debility.) 

1. When water is in the chest it is called Hydrothorax. This 
is the immediate cause of death, in pleurisy in the horse, and 
pleuro-pneumonia in cattle, the animal dying by suffocation or as- 
phyxia. 

2. When in the belly, it is called Ascites. 

3. When in the cellular tissue, and confined to a portion only 
of the body, as the leg or sheath, it is called (Edema ; but if the 
swellings are over different portions of the body, it is called Ana- 
sarca. 

4. When in the heart-case or pericardium, it is called Dropsy 
of the Heart. 

Causes. Treatment of diseases by starvation, or low diet, bleed- 
ing, blistering, and physicking. Injury to a part will be followed 
by watery swellings in the neighboring parts. 

Treatment. Blood-making food and medicines are imperatively 
demanded. Corn meal mixed with bran and cut hay. Grass, if 
it can be had. A bottle of strong beef tea or soup, given daily, 
will be of great use. Give the following medicine three times a 
day, either mixed in the food or poured down the mouth with a 
bottle: Powdered sulphate of iron, one drachm ; powdered gentian 
root, two drachms ; Spanish fly, two grains. Mix. Friction over 
the swelling will be of use. Sometimes it will be necessary to 
make slight incisions or cuts through the skin to let out the im- 
prisoned fluid. Do not blister such swelling, as it is apt to pro- 
duce ragged, running sores, difficult to heai, and leaving a blemish. 



— SOS — 

Water in the chest is removed by introducing an instrument 
/see Instruments) called a trocar, but somewhat smaller than the 
©a.e used fur hoven in cattle. Also it is removed by absorption and 
by diuretics (which see). 

Dysentery. — (See Diarrhoea.) 

Ear Diseases. — (1.) Small Tumors. — Sometimes tumors of 
various shapes and sizes are seen in the ear of the horse, producing 
a kind of canker in that organ. 

Symptoms. Shaking of the head ; will not let much familiarity 
be made with him ; running or starting back, when the collar or 
bridle is being taken up over the ears. 

Causes. Irritation and inflammation of the skin of the ear, 
producing small pimples of proud flesh. 

Treatment. Removal with the knife, scissors, or caustic; wen 
apply the simple ointment as for a simple sore. (See Prescription 
in Medicine List.) 

(2.) Injuries of the Ear. — Injuries to the ear take place from 
the use of the whip, the bite of a dog, or from another horae 
biting it. 

Treatment. Treat as for a common sore, by simple ointment and 
by cleanliness. 

(3.) Deafness. — Not often observed in horses. 

(4.) Foreign Substances in the Ear. — Remove them by the 
forceps. 

(5.) Abscess in the Ear. — Treatment as for Abscess (which see). 

(6.) Dry Gangrene in the Ear. — Two cases of this affection 
have been brought to my notice, in which the concha of the ear 
had dried up, withered, and dropped off. 

Ecchymosis. — Black spots observed on the lungs of cattle and 
horses having died from pleuro-pneumonia. 

Eczema. — (See Mange.) 

Elephantiasis. — A name applied to a swelled leg. (Se$ 
Grease.) 

Embrocation. — A term applied to liniments. (See Prescrip- 
tions.) 

Emetics. — Medicine, often taken into the stomach of man and 
tome animals, causing them to vomit. The horse, ox, and sheep 



— S04 — 

do not, or rather, oannot vomit. Hence, tartar emetic has no effect 
upon them. 

Emphysema. — This is a name signifying wind-swelling, caused 
by the escape of air into the cellular tissue, as between the skin 
and the flesh, or rat ^er the fascia and the skin. Pressure with the 
hand on these windy swellings causes a crackling noise or sound. 
This condition sometimes arises in the chest, and is attended with 
difficult breathing and anxiety of countenance. 

Causes. Wounds in the chest, and when underneath the skin, it 
is caused by undue pressure on the part, causing a separation of 
the skin from the fascia. 

Treatment. This consists in evacuating the air by slight punc- 
tures on the surface of the swelling, assisted by gentle pressure of 
the hand. 

When in the lungs, give good feeding, and occasionally small 
doses of the tincture of aconite root, say 10 drops, three times in 
the day, to relieve the breathing, until the lungs heal up. 

Encysted Tumors. — (See Tumors.) 

Encephaloid. — (See Tumors.) 

Endermic. — A plan of treating disease by placing the medicine 
in contact with or under the skin. Morphia and strychnia are 
the agents in common use in this form of administration. (See 
Typhosus.) 

Enema. — (See Injection.) 

Ephemeral. — A fever which runs its course in twelve to forty- 
eight hours. 

Epidemic. — This term is applied to diseases of animals, but 
improperly, as the term is exclusively a name that should only be 
used for diseases when man is the subject. Epi, upon, and demo, 
the people — a disease upon the people. Epizootic is the proper 
name for animal diseases. Epi, upon, zoon, an animal — diseases 
upon animals. 

Epizootic. — A disease that attacks many animals at the same 
time and season, originating in one common cause. Examples — 
epizootic-influenza in the horse, and pleuro-pneumonia in cattle. 

Epilepsy. — An epileptic horse should never be used for family 
driving. (See Megrims.) 

Epiphora.— Weeping from the Eye. (See Eye Diseases.) 



— 8*6— 

Epsom Salts. — (See Medicines.) 

Eruptions. — Eruptions are more a symptom than a disease. 
(See Strangles, Surfeit, Stings of Insects, and Scarlatina.) 

Erysipelas. — This, as an independent disease, is not often, if 
at all, seen in horses. It is often present after accidents, as a 
bruise or a broken bone. 

Symptoms. A hard, tense and painful swelling of the parts, 
accompanied with irritation and excitement through the entire 
system. 

Treatment. Give twenty to twenty-five drops of the tincture of 
aconite root four times in the day, to calm the system. Apply 
cold iced water, with woollen cloths, to the part. If from broken 
bones, try and remove, or adjust them in position to one another, 
and secure them so with splint and bandage. In severe cases of 
broken bones the animal had better be killed. (See Fractures.) 

Exostosis.— (See Splint and Bony Tumors.) 

Eyes, Diseases of the. — Before referring to the diseases or 
this organ, it may be necessary to say a few words as to the struc- 
ture of the eye. 

(1.) The eyelids are composed of skin, and under it the fibres of 
a circular muscle which close the eyelids. The eyelids are lined 
internally with a mucous membrane called the conjunctiva, which 
is reflected from them over the anterior surface of the eyeball. 

(2.) The globe of the eye is not exactly round, for it is more 
like a segment of a smaller circle put into a greater one. 

(3.) The clear portion of the eye is called the cornea, and forms 
a portion of the globe. 

(4.) The sclerotic coat is what is called the white of the eye; 
and just back of it is what is called the choroid coat of the eye. 
And immediately within this choroid coat is placed the retina, or 
the expansion of the optic nerve, or the nerve of sight. 

(5.) The humors of the eye occupy the anterior chamber, as 
well as pass into the posterior. The iris floats in this humor, and 
behind it will be found the magnifying lens of the eye. This is a 
double convex, and is placed in the centre of vision, and fronting 
the next, or vitreous humor of the eye. This humor is enclosed 
in a capsule, called the hyaloid membrane. The eyes of the horse 
are so placed in his head, that he,«at the same time sees different 



— 303- 

objects with each eye, which peculiarity accounts for the shying 
and starting, when one eye is imperfect or diseased. If one eye 
only be altogether destroyed, the horse will not shy or start, but 
will be a useful animal. This is the reason why cataract on the 
eye of a horse had better be let alone, as any imperfect sight will 
make the horse dangerous to drive, objects being seen in a dis- 
torted form. Better the eye to be completely destroyed than par- 
tially so. 

(1.) Amaurosis. — This is the same disease that Milton was 
affected with, and was called by him " drop serene." It is a com- 
plete or partial blindness from loss of sensation, or feeling of the 
optic nerve. 

Symptoms. This is the most serious disease affecting the eye of 
either man or horse, and is ushered in by weeping and partial 
closure of the eyelids. A thin film or scum will soon be observed 
to spread over the whole of the front of the eye. This condition 
will pass off for a week or two, and then return with increased 
violence until the sight will be entirely destroyed. Spots will be 
seen between each attack, deep in the eye, gradually increasing in 
size, till the nerve of sight is totally destroyed. 

Causes. Inflammation affecting the brain, tumors, or bone press- 
ing upon the optic nerve. 

Treatment. Doubtful of cure. Small doses of strychnine may be 
tried to restore the sensibility of the optic nerve, or colchicum may 
be used. (See Medicine.) 

Observe. There are many horses with extremely flat foreheads, 
the bones seemingly pressing upon the lower portion of the brain, 
just where the optic nerve is given out to the eyes. These flat' 
headed (that is in front of the head) horses, I have observed to go 
blind about the seventh year of their age. Blindness arising from 
such a cause, may justly be laid at the door of hereditary causes. 
Breeding from blind mares should, therefore, be, as a rule, avoided. 
If a mare from accident becomes blind, there are no scientific 
reasons why she should not be used for breeding purposes. What 
is to be observed is, not to breed from a mare that has a very flat 
forehead and has not gone blind from accident or injury to the eye. 

(2.) Floating Spots in the Eye. — Sometimes dark cloudy spots 
or specks will be seen floating iu the eye, more or less movable, 



— 307- 

rising and falling, as the eye itself moves. If they are unattended 
with weakness of the eye or the spots are not fixed, and dark, in- 
dicating the commencement of the disease named above, they will 
be no great injury. 

Causes. Some constitutional disturbance, over-driving, or hard 
work. 

Treatment. Inject, or apply cold water several times in the day. 

(3.) Iritis. — Inflammation of the iris. 

Causes. Cold and exposure, producing rheumatism in that por- 
tion of the eye. 

Symptoms. Redness of the eye, and muddy color of the cornea. 
The iris is a little changed in color. 

Treatment. The application of moist poultices to the eye for a 
few days to allay inflammation, or irritation. Then apply three 
times daily, with a small brush called a camel's hair pencil, the 
following mixture: nitrate of silver, twelve grains; rainwater, 
four ounces. The brush to be dipped in the mixture, and drawn 
lightly across within the eye. Keep the horse from the light as 
much as possible. 

(4.) Inflammation of the Sclerotic Coat. 

Syviptoms. The coat is of a pink-red color. 

Cause. Rheumatism. 

Treatment. A teaspoonful of the wine of colchicum root, four 
times in the day ; comfortable stabling and generous feeding. 

Half-drachm doses of the iodide of potassium may be tried in this 
case. Half-ounce doses of sesquicarbonate of soda, occasionally, 
will be of service. 

(5.) Polypi. Small excrescences are sometimes seen to arise from 
the iris, but require no treatment, as they will pass away of them* 
selves. 

(6.) Spots and Ulceration of the Cornea. 

Symptoms. Blood vessels tinged with blood; small, elevated 
spots, which are sometimes ulcers, and at other times small ab- 
scesses, owing to the abscesses being whole or broken. 

Treatment. Take belladonna, half a drachm ; cold water, six 
ounces. Mix, and apply to the parts with a camel's hair pencil 
dipped in the mixture. Scarify or open the angular veins of the 
eye, and foment with warm water, to insure a good flow of blood. 



This treatment should be followed by a lotion of the nitrate of 
silver, or of blue stone— sulphate of copper (see Medicines), to 
destroy the ulcers inside the eyelids ; then apply the belladonna 
lotion as before. It will require repeated applications alternately 
to effect a complete cure. It will be advisable to feed the horse 
well, to increase absorption of effused fluids and thickenings. 
Iron and gentian will be useful. (See Medicines and Prescrip- 
tions.) 

(7.) Weeping from the Eye. — This is more properly a symp- 
tom than a disease — a swelling of the caruncula lachrymalis — a 
small, round body. 

Treatment. Touch the swelling with a camel's hair pencil 
dipped in the lotion of blue stone, or nitrate of silver. Four 
grains to an ounce of rain water, will be strong enough for this 
purpose. This treatment will cure tho weeping, provided the 
tear-duct be open. 

(8.) Closing of the Eyelids. — Treatment. Apply warm water 
with a sponge for a period sufficiently long, so as to dissolve or 
dilute the mucus, which causes the lids to stick together. To 
prevent a recurrence during some diseases of the eyes, smear the 
lids with sweet oil, or cold cream, every night while the disease 
lasts. 

(9.) Hair Growing in the Eye. — Scientifically, this is called 
Trichiasis. The removal of the hair by tweezers, or forceps, and 
the application of some eye-wash to remove the irritation, are the 
proper means to be employed. 

(10.) Swelling of the Eyelids. — This is sometimes observed 
in bad cases of mange (which see). 

(11.) Simple Ophthalmia, or Catarrhal Ophthalmia. — Symp 
toms. A thick, mucous discharge from the eye, accompanyin ; 
cases of cold or catarrh, redness and swelling of the membrar e 
lining the inside of the eyelids. This condition and appearance 
resemble the lining of the nose in cases of cold. This affection 
may, with propriety, be called muco-purulent ophthalmia, ar.d it 
is not unlike the Egyptian ophthalmia of man, produced by the 
introduction of the flying sands of the Arabian desert. Ophthal- 
mia may be simple or acute; consequently, the treatment wiH be 
accordingly. 



-36©- 

Treatment. The application of cold water; or if the cold seem 
to give pain, warm water should be used instead. Open the an- 
gular veins. This is done as follows : Take a sharp knife, and 
simply cut the skin and the veins which are seen underneath at 
the lower corner of the eye, and bathe with warm water, which 
will induce them to bleed freely. Give grass, or some other open- 
ing and cool feed. Give, also, half-ounce doses of sulphite of soda 
daily for a few days. The nitrate of silver lotion, or the blue 
stone, will do ; it is cheap and easily procured, and therefore 
better adapted for the farmer or stable man. Apply as elsewhere 
recommended. Never use sugar of lead lotions as an eye-wash 
to the eye, which books so often recommend. They are positively 
injurious to the eye by their producing dulness, or opacity of the 
cornea — or the clear, transparent part of the eye — the very bright- 
ness of which indicates health, beauty and intelligence in a horse; 
80, once for all, I say, use no Goulard's solution of lead. Copper 
is infinitely better, and never leaves dimness of the eye or vision. 
If copper be not at hand, chloride of zinc, one grain, to an ounce 
of rain or distilled water, is an excellent application to the eye of 
a horse suffering from purulent ophthalmia. (See Medicines and 
Prescriptions.) 

(12.) Moon Blindness, terminating in Cataract. — This dis- 
ease is a serious one, and frequent, consisting of inflammation of 
the internal parts of the eyeball, the choroid coat and the iris 
more particularly. 

Symptoms. In the morning, perhaps, the eyelids will be found 
closed ; a large flow of tears ; the back portion of the eye dim 
and clouded. No specks are to be seen, as in some other diseases 
of the eye. A yellow border will be observed at the bottom of 
the chamber. This is pus. The attack, or inflammation, will 
last from two to three weeks; at the end of which time the 
eye will brighten up, and the ordinary observer may think 
that the eye is completely cured. The pus is entirely ab- 
sorbed, scarcely leaving any traces behind, except a degree of 
dimness. In one, two or three months, and not by the regularity 
of the moon's changes, as horsemen suppose, the disease reap- 
pears, having the same symptoms and characteristics as in the 
first attack, only a greater deposit of pus will be left at each sub- 



sequent attack. One attack succeeds another until the whole 
pupil is filled with matter, constituting cataract, thus completely 
destroying the eyesight. This disease is usually at first confined 
to one eye, but in some cases both are affected, one usually more 
severely than the other. 

Treatment. This disease is deemed incurable, which fact has 
often induced the owner of an animal thus affected to sell him, 
being well aware that the disease will at no distant day return, 
and leave upon his hands a blind horse. An application of cold 
water and the tincture of opium should be used to allay pain and 
irritation ; cold water, one ounce ; tincture of opium, two drachms ; 
to be applied by means of a camel's hair pencil. 

Observe. When one eye of a horse is affected with this disease, 
the other will also ultimately become affected. To prevent this, 
it has been advised, as is done in man, to have the diseased eye 
entirety extirpated. In horses, I would rather puncture the cornea 
with a lancet, and allow the watery humor to escape, thus permit- 
ting the diseased e} T e to sink in the head. This being dons suc- 
cessfully, the remaining eye will not only retain, but will increase 
in lustre and brightness. 

False Quarter. — (See Foot Diseases.) 

Farcy. — The reader will be not a little surprised at the opinions 
that are advanced by me in regard to this disease, especially if he 
be a reader of the books on the diseases of horses. In these books 
we are distinctly told that farcy is a variety of glanders, and that 
farcy buds are of the same nature as the ulcers of the lining mem- 
brane of the nose in cases of glanders. This may or may not be 
true. But why not have given the reasons why these relations 
were so sustained to each other ? Thus assertion is put for fact, 
and ignorance for great knowledge. Farcy is not a disease attack- 
ing the absorbent vessels, nor glanders of the lining membranes 
of the nose. Farcy, we are again told, is curable, and in the very 
next sentence that glanders is incurable. Why this peculiarity? 
For if the diseases be the same, they should be equalty susceptible 
of cure. From all that has been said and written on the subject 
of farcy and glanders, nothing satisfactory has been gained, but 
much that is calculated to perplex. Farcy is the " scrofula " of 
the horse. It is unknown in countries and climes where thii 



tisease in man ia never seen, and a disease inseparable from the 
present manner of domestication. In a word, the disease called 
iforcy is nothing more nor less than the effects of a class of patho- 
gens called ferments, leavens, or zumins, acting and producing fer- 
mentation in the blood. (See Glanders.) In medicines zumins 
are used, such as yeast, rennet, pepsin, and cow-pox matter. 
Among the various diseases of the horse, produced by ferments, 
are glanders, farcy, purpura, grease, and several eruptions of the 
skin and legs. This is readily explained. For instance, if the 
liver, kidneys, skin, and bowels of a horse be not acting right, how 
is effete matter to be eliminated or carried from the blood or the 
body of the animal ? This effete matter, as a small piece of mem- 
brane, dead bone or pus, not escaping by the usual channels, will 
jlecay and become an active ferment in the blood and in the fluids 
•di the body. This, then, is the only true explanation of the phe- 
nomena of farcy in the horse. 

Symptoms. An unhealthy coat ; bad habit of body ; one leg, 
usually the fore leg, will swell to a very large size — hot and pain- 
ful, and in a day or two it will break out in small, running ulcers, 
or sores, discharging a sanious fluid, sometimes of a thick and 
resinous color. On the inside of the leg, or on the side of the body 
or on the neck, will be seen a thick, corded, and elevated sub- 
stance under the skin, of considerable hardness, and interrupted 
at distances with a small sore similar to that on the leg. In some 
cases — not in every case — circumscribed and soft, puffy swellings 
will be seen about the mouth, lips, and indeed on many parts of 
the body. These swellings are not to be confounded with swell- 
ing of the legs, belly, breast, sheath, etc., in cases of weakness or 
debility. These swellings have been named water farcy by some 
people, but have no connection with true or malignant farcy what- 
ever, and are not in any way infectious or contagious. After some 
alterations and changes occupying a few weeks, the animal be- 
comes much changed for the worse, the blood becoming so dete- 
riorated and changed in character that the animal's vitality soon 
gives way, and the horse dies a miserable object. 

Causes. Overcrowding horses in small and insignificant houses, 
with little or no ventilation, each animal repeatedly breathing the 
noxious or waste material from the ,\t>xi,$a of his companions, thu* 

/ 



— S12 — 

introducing into the blood a powerful pathogen in the form of a 
ferment; inoculation from the virus of slandered or farcied horses, 
the inoculation producing a ferment ; debility, ending in changing 
the character of the blood. Absorption of pus from sores or 
ulcers into the blood is another powerful ferment, and ends either 
in farcy, glanders, or some other zymotic disease. 

Treatment. Having fully and sufficiently explained the cause 
of this disease, the treatment is almost already pointed out, 
namely, remove the cause, and the effects will cease. For this 
purpose give the following substance twice a day, a tablespoonful 
to a dose : Sulphite (not sulphate) of soda. This new chemical 
salt will purify the blood, as its action destroys fermentation, 
whether in a barrel of wine, cider, or in the blood of a horse. 
Continuing this till the horse is well, and for a few weeks after- 
wards, two or three times a week, will be of good service. (See 
Sulphite of Soda.) While the blood is thus being purified and 
made fit once more for the purposes of life, it will be necessary to 
add something to it also, thus assisting the powers of the consti- 
tution to overcome the difficulty. We will not only add to the 
blood, but give something to facilitate the removal of the effete 
matter from the body, without weakening the animal with debil- 
itating diuretics. For this purpose, the following medicine will 
be given : Powdered sulphate of copper, three ounces ; powdered 
Spanish fly, one drachm ; powdered gentian root, four ounces. 
Mix, and divide into twelve powders, and give one powder at 
night in some good feed, with no more cold water in it than will 
keep the particles of the feed together. These powders will do for 
two weeks ; at the end of that time get more, and continue them 
till the horse is well. In addition to what has been recommended, 
give grass, and good and generous feed, for by these means the 
power and strength of the body will be kept up, and a cure will be 
more surely and speedily effected. 

While this treatment is going on, the horse will have to be re- 
moved to a place by himself, or from healthy animals. Keep all 
articles used in feeding, clothing and cleansing him, in the build- 
ing with him. Remember, this is considered one of the contagious 
diseases of the horse. Not only the safety of your own, but of 
your neighbor's horse, depends upon your observance of these 



~-f, in- 
directions. Tn rase yon should place a horse so affected, either in 
ft field next to your neighbor, or in his stable, and his horses be- 
come affected, you will be liable to a suit at law for damages aris- 
ing therefrom. From my experience in horse causes in the courts 
of Philadelphia, it will be easier to bring a suit than to gain it, if 
there be scientific witnesses on the stand, as the question will 
arise, Was the disease, or was it not, communicated from the sick 
horse so placed ? Obviously, these are questions more easily asked 
than answered. 

Fatty Tumor.— (See Tumors.) 

Farrier. — Properly, this title belongs to the blacksmith, whether 
a horse shoer, or of other branches of iron working, faber j 'err cuius ; 
but from some idea or other, we hear of persons, otherwise well 
informed, saying, when speaking of accident or sickness to horses, 
to have or send for & farrier. Now, what is there possessed by 
workers in iron, that they should know any more about diseases 
and their treatment than is possessed by a worker in wood? Per- 
sons of education should look into the etymology of a term, even 
if it should be used by the mass of the people: for it is by the 
language and general deportment, that a man of education ia 
known from his less learned prototype. 

Fever, Putrid. — (See Typhosus.) 

Fever, Sympathetic. — This variety of fever is that which is 
produced by accident and disease. Thus, a horse gets a nail in 
the sensitive part of the foot, excitement, or sympathetic fever is 
an accompaniment. Lung disease is accompanied with fever, and 
hence it is called lung fever. Fever in the feet is a common ex- 
pression, signifying sympathetic fever. Indeed, it is a question, in 
my mind, whether fevers of all kinds are not to be attributed to 
some local or general disturbance of some action or function of 
the body. Thus, the many fevers which attack the human family 
can readily be traced to a predisposing cause ; as, for example, 
typhus fever is caused by insufficient ventilation, besieged towns 
and garrisons, preventing the removal of exuvia. 

Fever in the Feet. — This is a common disease of horses in 
large towns and cities, where the streets are paved with stone or 
iron, whereby the concussion ia very great, when horses ar» driver, 
fast (See Founder.) 



— 8U — 

Fibroma. — A variety of Tumor. nmom.) 

Firing Horses. — This is an operation which is a great favorite, 
find in much repute among horse doctors. For my part, I think 
It is not only cruel and barbarous, but unnecessary, doing no good 
whatever, and in many cases a positive injury, the effects of which 
will never disappear from the legs or body while the animal lives. 
Firing is intended by its advocates to prevent and cure spavin, 
curbs, sprains, and ring bones, by scoring the parts with a red hot 
iron in lines over the part that is thought will be diseased, or is 
already so. 

Fistula. — Examples. Fistula of the shoulder, of the poll, poll- 
evil (which see), and quittor or sinuses of the foot (which see). 
Fistulas are usually deep-seated, but sometimes they are super- 
ficial, or just under the skin. However, although we see them 
sometimes so situated, it must be confessed that the cases are ex- 
tremely rare. The fistula most frequent and difficult of cure is 
always deep-seated and in the vicinity of a joint, as the poll and 
shoulder. The reason of this is easy of explanation, for when 
these parts get injured, and suppurative action is set up, the pus, 
instead of pointing to the outward surface, burrows down in 
among the loose textures, and forms sinuses or pipes, pointing in 
several directions. Fistula differs from a simple abscess in this 
particular, and therefore is difficult of cure. The pus secreted is 
nearly the same. The pus in a simple abscess is secreted from, 
and is a liquification of, the surrounding tissue ; but the pus of 
fistula is secreted from the walls of a fibrous sack, which is formed 
Sn most cases of fistula. The fistula may be open or whole, pre- 
senting a large swelling. 

Symptoms. Pain on pressure of the parts affected, followed by 
heat, pain, and swelling, circumscribed in shape, hard at first, and 
becoming soft and fluctuating upon pressure by the finger — a sure 
Indication of fluid within. This swelling, from the firmness and 
Integrity of the sack and skin in which it is enclosed, does not 
break, nor yet form sinuses that take on the character of an en- 
tysted tumor, which does not break of its own accord, as simple 
Abscesses do. At other times the fistulous tumor breaks or opens in 
teveral places, and small holes discharge pus, some t>day and 
Vme to-morrow. The day the discharge is free, the pain and 



,-,818 — ~ 

swelling is less. Among the pus will be observed organized mat- 
ter, similar to cheese, or in other words, not uniform in thickness 
or appearance. This is a disease that rarely ever gets well of its 
own efforts, from the fact of the sore having a sack, which is only 
removed by art ; also from the situation of fistula presenting no 
depending opening for the outlet of pus. 

Causes. Bruises, accidents, caries of the bones (which see), in- 
flammation of the bone, or any accident that will cause a simple 
abscess, will cause fistula. 

A blow that would produce a common abscess on some portions 
of the body, will result in fistula in other portions, as in the vicin- 
ity of a joint. 

Treatment If the swelling is just forming, endeavor to put it, 
back by placing chopped ice, in a bag, over it for a few days. By 
this means, many a swelling which would terminate in a fistula, 
will be cured at once. This not succeeding, have an opening made 
into its lower side, so as the bloody water, which it at this time 
contains, will be discharged. Then syringe a half tablespoonful 
of the tincture of iodine into it once a day for a few days, to eat or 
destroy the membranous sack. Then treat it as a common sore 
by keeping it clean, and the opening from closing before it has 
healed from the bottom. For this purpose, place a small piece of 
cotton in the mouth of the opening, smeared with simple oint- 
ment. (See Medicines and Prescriptions.) 

Fistula in the Foot. — This disease, by common consent, is 
called quittor, a fistulous abscess in the foot. (See Quittor.) 

Fistulous Withers. — By farmers called Thisolow, or Fisolow. 
This is an affection described in the preceding article, with this 
difference in some cases, that it extends through over the top of 
the bones of the withers or shoulders to the other side, thus form- 
ing * very broad pad, as it were, on the top of the shoulder, just 
where the shoulder in health is the sharpest and narrowest. 

Treatment. Lay chopped ice in bags over the swelling, and, if 
necessary, open and take out the sack, or destroy it by the injec- 
tion of the tincture of iodine, and dress as for a common sore. 
(See preceding Article and Poll-Evil.) 

Fits. — This is a term applied to horses subject to megrims, or 



— SIS — 

staggers (which see), causing them to fall. Hence, the expression, 
" fitty horse." 

Flaxseed. — Every part of this seed is used one way or anotru-r 
in the treatment of diseases of the horse. The ground seed, mixed 
with warm water, is an excellent cooling food for horses, almost a 
laxative. The pressed juice, or oil, is a certain and safe purgative 
for the horse, in quart doses. The residue, which remains after 
the oil has been pressed, commonly called cake meal, when mixed 
with warm water, makes the best of poultices to a sore or wound. 
(See Poultices.) 

Food, Hints on. — 1. All horaes must not be fed in the same 
proportions, without due regard to their ages, their constitutions, 
and their work. Because the impropriety of such a practice is self- 
evident. Yet it is constantly done, and is the basis of di-seasf of every 
kind. 

2. Never use bad hay on account of its cheapness. Because 
there is not proper nourishment in it. 

3. Damaged corn is exceedingly injurious. Because it brings on 
inflammation of the Bowels and skin diseases. 

4. Chaff is better for old horses than hay. Because they can chew 
and digest it better. 

5. Mix chaff with corn or oats, and do not give them alone. 
Because it makes the horse chew his food more and digest it better. 

6. Hay or grass alone will not support a horse under hard work. 
Because there is not sufficient nutritive body in either. 

7. When a horse is worked hard his food should chiefly be oats 
and corn ; if not worked hard, his food should chiefly be hay. 
Because oats and corn supply more nourishment and flesh-making 
material than any other kind of food. Hay not so much. 

8. For a saddle or coach-horse, half a peck of sound oats and 
eighteen pounds of good hay are sufficient. If the hay is not good, 
add a quarter of a peck more oats. A horse that works harder 
may have rather more of each ; one that works little should have 
less. 

9. Rack-feeding is wasteful. The better plan is to feed with 
chopped hay, from a manger. Because the food is not then thrown 
about, and is more easily chewed and digested. 

10. Sprinkle the hay with water that has salt dissolved in it 



— S17^ 

Became it is pleasing to the animaVs taste, and more easily digested. 
[A teaspoonful of salt in a bucket of water is sufficient.] 

11. Oats and corn should be bruised for an old horse but not 
for a young one. Because the former, through age and defective teeth, 
cannot chew them properly ; the young Iwrse can do so, and they are 
thus properly mixed with the saliva, and turned into wholesome nutri- 
ment. 

12. Grass must always be cut for hay before the seed drops. 
Because the juices that ripen the seed are the most valuable part of the 
hay. If they are sucked out by its ripening and dropping, the grass 
will not turn into hay ; but will wither and grow yellow. 

13. Vetches and cut grass should always be given in the spring 
to horses that cannot be turned out into the fields. Because they 
are very cooling and refreshing, and almost medicinal in their effects ; 
out they must be supplied in moderation, as they are liable to foment in 
the stomach if given largely. 

14. Water your horse from a pond or stream, rather than from 
a spring or well. Because the latter is generally hard and cold, while 
the former is soft, and comparatively warm. The horse prefers soft, 
muddy water to hard water, though ever so clear. 

15. A horse should have at least a pail of water, morning and 
evening ; or (still better) four half-pailsful, at four several times in 
the day. Because this assuages his thirst without bloating him. But 
he should not be made to work directly after he has had a full 
draught of water ; for digestion and exertion can never go on together. 

16. Do not allow your horse to have warm water to drink. Be- 
cause, if he has to drink cold water, after getting accustomed to warm, it 
will give him the colic. 

17. When your horse refuses his food, after drinking, go no fur- 
ther that day. Because the poor creature is thoroughly beaten. 
(See Humanity to Animals.) 

Fomentations. — This term has been used exclusively in the 
application of warm water to an inflamed or sprained part, and 
sometimes to a sore. I may be right or may be wrong, when I 
say that the application of cold water to parts similarly affected, is 
just as much entitled to the term fomentation, for certainly it is 
applied the same way and for the same purpose, namely, to allay 
irritation in the sore or sprained part ; and it has, from my own 



-818- 

experience, proved to have a much better effect, and in ?,s short a 
time. Cold, applied, has an effect to brace, strengthen, and give 
tonicity to relaxed sprains and sores. Warmth has an opposite 
effect, i. e. y to relax and debilitate. In foot diseases, warm water 
will be preferable for softening the horn. Where warm water is 
used, the case should be treated afterwards by cold fomentations. 
A good way to apply cold water is by means of wet woollen cloths 
wrapped loosely around the parts, and wet every hour or so before 
the skin becomes warm. At night take all the cloths off: this will 
prevent scalding, and falling off of the hair. 

Warm water should be applied the same as cold. 

Either cold or warm fomentations should be continued for a time 
to get their benefits. It will be well to remember, that when the 
cloths are allowed to become dry, an opposite reaction is immedi- 
ately set up. Cold is followed by increased warmth in the parts. 
Warmth is followed by cold. This should be well understood, for 
in my opinion cold applications, with absolute and entire rest, n re 
the only and best agents for the speedy and sure cure of sprains in 
whatever part of the legs or body. 

Foot Diseases. — (1.) Canker in the Foot. — Happily, this is 
a rare affection, because it is not easily managed from the peculiar 
tendency in the horse's foot to grow and produce proud flesh, which 
is the essential principle of the affection. Canker in the foot of a 
horse may be said to be a foot deprived of a part of its sole, in lieu 
of which a fungus is formed. It is difficult to keep it level with 
the remaining portion of the sole. Not only so, but we have to 
change this disposition in the foot to throw out such material, and 
induce the material to secrete or produce a new sole. This is the 
difficulty to be experienced in the treatment of this affection. 
Nevertheless, cases, and very hard ones, too, have been cured, but 
not in a day, nor a week, but months. 

Causes. Injuries to the sensitive sole by nails, bruises, and other 
accidents, as a piece of the sole being torn off. 

Treatment. Removal of any diseased or dead sole, and the proud 
flesh. For this purpose, the knife will have to be used to remove 
the dead sole, and, if it be in the hands of an energetic person, the 
most of the fungus or proud flesh can be taken off m the same 
manner. If not, get caustic potash, and quickly reduce it to a 



-319 — 

coarse powder, as it soon dissolves on exposure to the air Lay it 
upon the raw surface. Tins apply next day, if the first application 
has not removed sufficient or all of it. After the proud fiesh has 
been entirely taken off, or levelled with the sole proper, dress every 
day with Barbadoee tar, one pound ; sulphuric acid, three drachms; 
powdered sulphate of copper, half an ounce. Mix well, and spread 
a portion over the sore foot, and over this dressing, a pad of tow or 
cotton, held firmly down on the padding, so as to produce pressure, 
an important matter in the treatment of canker in the foot. This 
can be secured by thin pieces of splint from young wood being 
placed across one another over the pad, and the ends pushed in 
between the foot and the bhoe. By this means, and a little 
patience, with a little ingenuity in fixing and apptying these pads, 
etc., even very bad cases can be cured. 

(2.) Contraction. — This is not so much a disease as it is bad 
management in the stable and in the blacksmith's shop. Contrac- 
tion may be said to be an alteration of the shape and structure 
of the posterior, or back portion of the hoof — a winding in of the 
heels. 

Causes. Want of proper knowledge on the part of the owner or 
horseshoer in not knowing the difference between the foot that 
would require a piece added to it at each shoeing, and the one that 
requires a large portion taken from it, so as to insure elasticity 
and expansion. A foot strong and inelastic, and unyielding to 
the weight of the animal, is the very first foot to become contracted. 
I know flat, weak-footed horses travelling sound for ten or fifteen 
years without in the least being contracted. So long as we have 
atrong-hoofed horses, and shod with an inflexible iron ring tu 
prevent wear and tear, and the blacksmith neglects to take off of 
#ach hoof at the shoeing as much horn as the horse would have 
worn if he had been in the natural state and not shod, we will have 
contraction. 

Treatment. Cut down the hoof and shorten the toe, and make 
the hard and inelastic foot one that will expand at its heels every 
time the weight of the animal puts his foot to the ground. 

One-sided nailing is an excellent preventative as well as an as 
sis tan t in the cure of contracted feet. What is meant by one-sided 
Bailing ifl, that nails are to be confined to the outside toe of the 



— S20 — 

foot, so as to allow free expansion for the heels. This cannot be 
done with a shoe being nailed on by nails placed at each side. To 
illustrate this point, place a small horse-ehoe flat in the palm of 
the hand with the fingers close to one another ; then tie, with a 
piece of cord, the little finger to one side of the shoe, and the thumb 
to the other side ; then you will realize to what extent you can 
expand the fingers so secured. So it is just with the foot of a horse 
with the shoe nailed on at each side. Remove the cord from one 
finger, and the whole hand is free to expand. So likewise the 
foot of the horse by one-sided nailing. 

(3.) Corns. — This is a red spot on the inner portion of the heel 
of the foot, causing lameness, and consists of a bruise from the 
shoe pressing upon the part, the shoes having shifted from their 
proper position, or never having been placed there. In general, 
the production of corns may be laid to the charge of the horse- 
shoer, and sometimes to the owner allowing the horse to go long 
before the shoes are removed, or before the foot has grown from 
the shoes. Corn is an. analogical term, although bearing no re- 
semblance to that well-known affection of the feet of man. 

Treatment. Remove the corns by cutting them out; then apply 
a few drops of commercial sulphuric acid to the part. Shoe the 
horse sufficiently often to insure even bearing to the shoe upon the 
wall only of the foot. 

(4.) False Quarter. — This is a term applied to the horn or por- 
tion of the hoof, which overlaps or bulges out from the line of the 
second portion of the hoof. 

Causes. An injury to the coronet or ligament, which secretes, 
or from which the hoof grows. This causes an alteration of the 
horn of the hoof below, corresponding to the extend of the injury. 

Treatment. As there will be an enlargement, more or less, remain- 
ing after an injury to the coronet, little will be required to be 
done, but to keep the horn as level with the hoof proper as possi- 
ble, in order to make it look less of an eye-sore. 

(5.) Inflammation of the Foot. — (See Founder.) 

(6.) Pricks. — Pricks may occur in the act of shoeing, or from a 
nail being picked up on the street, and from other hard-pointed 
substances. 

Treatment. Pull the nail out, and poultice the foot for twentj- 



— 821 — 

four hours ; then make an opening through the horn, over th# 

place where the nail went in, so as to allow the pus to escape. 
For, if this be not done, and the pus is left in the foot, it will in a 
few days, and at a great expense of suffering to the horse, break 
out between the hoof and the hair, constituting quittor. After an 
opening has been properly made, drop five drops of muriatic acid 
into the hole once a day, for a day or two. Poultice every second 
night or day and not oftener. A healthy hoof can be poulticed 
off by constant application. 

The horse can go to work as soon as he can step on the ground 
firmly and without lameness. Remember, that in all cases of 
pricks and other injuries which end in suppuration, as pus in the 
foot of a horse, make a thorough opening so as to allow the pus to 
escape, and no more trouble need be apprehended ; except the 
nail has entered into one of the tendons of the foot, in that case 
no pus will be usually formed, the majority of cases ending in 
locked-jaw (which see). Where pus is formed after pricking, no 
locked-jaw follows ; it is in those cases only where pus is not 
formed that locked-jaw may be expected. 

(7.) Bruises of the Foot. — (Treat as for Prick of Foot.) 

(8.) Sand or Quarter Crack. — This is a crack or split in the 
hoof, usually on the inner side of the fore foot, although splits and 
cracks occur in all places, and in both fore and hind feet. 

Causes. A brittle condition of the hoof, from the want of suffi- 
cient moisture. In some cases the horse does not stand square 
upon his fore feet, thereby causing undue weight to fall upon on» 
of the sides of the hoof and causing it to crack. 

Prevention. Apply to brittle feet equal portions of the oil of tai, 
and cod liver oil, whale oil, or any fish oil well rubbed in with a 
brush to the hoofs a. few times a week ; and occasionally apply 
wet cloths to the feet in the summer season. In winter the feet 
are better supplied with moisture. 

Treatment. Rasp the edges of the hoof thin, the nearer the crack 
the thinner the horn should be made ; this can be filled up with 
shoemaker's wax. After the horn has been properly thinned a 
piece of the wall of the hoof, for about half an inch on each side 
of the crack, is to be cut out to prevent any bearing of the shoes 
upon it, thereby preventing the constant opeaing, shutting and 
21 



~S22 — 

•ometimes bleeding from the crack. To prevent, or rather to caus* 
the new horn to grow down whole and without a crack in it, a 
piece of iron is to be placed in the fire and made red hot, and then 
applied, just for a moment, fiat on the hair at the head of the 
crack sufficient to make a scab. This will insure a solid growth 
of horn. Promote the growth of the horn as speedily as possible, 
to facilitate the cure ; a strap is used by some round the hoof to 
prevent opening of the crack. 

(9.) Navicular Disease. — This is a disease of a bone in tho 
foot of a horse, a serious disease, and often very obscure in its 
symptoms, altogether depending as to the advanced condition of 
the disease. Happily, however, it is scarcely met with, and then 
only in the common hack horse. It consists of ulceration, of 
various degrees, on the surface of the navicular bone within the 
foot. 

Causes. Hard and constant work upon streets paved with 
stones. Slight inflammation neglected and the horse not laid up 
until it gets well, and then inflammation increasing, until it ends 
in ulceration of the bone. 

Symptom. Obscure, or at least very like many of the symptoms 
similar to other diseases of the feet and legs. It is chiefly deter- 
mined by the undue heat in the fool, and by the fact that no dis- 
ease can be detected elsewhere or of a different kind. In lameness 
of other portions, not in the foot, we have heat and sxoelling — the 
hoof or foot of the horse cannot swell. It is a box, and we cannot 
gee into it to examine its contents and condition. 

Treatment. Incurable, although miich can be done to relieve the 
pain by the application of moisture, poultices, and occasionally 
placing the hoof in warm water to soften and relieve pressure. 
Some have recommended a blister round the coronet. I cannot 
see on what scientific or other grounds it will do good. In well- 
established cases, and in good strong feet, the division of the 
nerves which run down on each side of the leg and into the foot, 
will relieve the pain and the horse will go well. for years. But un- 
fortunately many cases so operated upon have lost their hoofs by 
falling off, which have been unjustly laid to the operation.. The 
cause of this is not so much in the operation as in the operator 
having no judgment as to the kind of hoof, and whether the op- 



oration would be successful or not. It would be obviously im- 
proper to recommend the operation upon a flat-footed horse, hs 
the animal deprived of pain would let his thin soled foot come 
down to the ground with great force and weight, thus injuring 
the whole structure to such an extent, that suppuration takes 
place and ultimately the sloughing and falling off of the hoof. 

(10.) Seedy Toe. — This is a name given to a split in the centre 
of either fore or hind foot, extending a little way up from the 
point, or it may be up to the hair itself. 

Causes. The same as those producing sand-crack (which see). 

Treatment. In bad cases, a clasp or plate of iron secured by 
short screws. In simple crack or split from the toe upwards, cut 
off all communication of the sound parts with the cracked or split 
portion. For this purpose a three edged file will be a good instru- 
ment for making the division. At each shoeing the split portion 
will gradually become less or shorter. 

(11.) Pumiced Sole. — This name is used or applied to the sole 
of a foot, which is convex instead of concave ; that is, instead of 
the nice cupped foot, the bottom of the saucer is presented.. 

Causes. The result of bad or severe cases of founder, where the 
coffin bone is let down upon the sole, and causes its descent or 
convexity. 

Treatment. This is merely palliative and is to be done by plac- 
ing a shoe upon the foot that will insure and protect the sole from 
the ground. 

(12.) Thrush.^ — A diseased condition of the sensitive frog of the 
foot, and from which a stinking fluid is discharged, which is 
familiar to every person who is among horses. 

Causes. Too much moisure to the foot, as from animals standv 
ing in their own excreta, or from wet stabling, the frog becomes 
perverted, and deteriorating, and secreting, or discharging a black- 
ish color, and otherwise nasty fluid. It sometimes accompanies 
navicular disease. 

Prevention. Dry stabling, a stall having sufficient inclination or 
drainage to carry off the fluids. Cleaning the stable regularly. 

Treatment. A few drops of muriatic acid forced into the centre 
of the frog once a day for a faw days. Keep the stable and stalls 
dry and. clean. A few doses of the sulphite of soda in half ounce 



— S24- 

doses, once a day, for a few days, will do good by its alterative and 
puritive effects upon the system. 

(13.) Tread. — This is, as its name indicates, a contused bruise 
inflicted on the coronet or immediately above the hoof by a tramp 
of the shoe on another foot, or even by another horse. Keep the 
wound clean, and apply the tincture of myrrh and aloes daily. 

(14.) Quittor. — This is a serious and painful disease of the 
foot, of the same nature as poll-evil and fistula in the shoulder; it 
is known by a large swelling around or above the hoof, or where 
the hair joins the hoof, which soon breaks and discharges pus. 

Symptoms. Horse off his feed. Considerable excitement and 
fever. Holding the feet off the ground, and very painful. A 
swelling soon shows itself at the coronet, and in a few days breaks 
and discharges pus. After this the horse will resume his feed, but 
will not make very free with his foot, which will be better to-day 
and worse the next day, depending upon the discharge of pus 
from the foot. 

Causes- A prick from a nail, a bruise on the sole, a suppurat- 
ing corn, or sometimes from a sand crack taking on suppurative 
action. 

Treatment. The great secret of the treatment of this disease, is 
to make a free opening from .the bottom of the foot. When this 
is done at once, you will be greatly surprised to see the swelling go 
away as quickly as it made its appearance, and if the swelling has 
broken, it will soon cease to discharge when the opening is made 
from below, or at the bottom of the foot. Having effected this 
purpose of an opening, get a small syringe and inject into the 
opening above, if there be any, and if not from the opening below, 
a mixture of the sulphate of zinc, two ounces ; rain water, eight 
ounces, once in tlie day. If the shoe has been taken off for the 
purpose of making the opening, have it put on again so as to hold 
some soft stopping in the sole to keep it soft. Cow dung is as 
good, *f not better, for this purpose, than the best of costly flax- 
seed. Never, in cases of this disease, apply poultices around the 
whole of the hoof, as in that case the hoof may fall off. Healthy 
hoofs can be poulticed off. Whatever poultice, it must be applied 
to tha «ole. If no opening has been made from below, drop Hx* 



— 323 — 

drops of muriatic acid into the opening above once in the day, for 
a few days. This will destroy the disease. 

Founder. — (1.) Acute Founder. — Every school-hoy is familiar 
with the name of founder when applied to a lame horse, but few 
horsemen ever comprehend the nature and seat of this affection. 
Founder in all its forms is inflammation of the laminae or leaves, 
which dovetail into each other, and bind the sensible and insensible 
portions of the foot together. Hence, it is called by some learned 
persons in diseases of horses laminitis, by adding the Greek word 
itis. Founder is again called by some persons fever in the feet. 
However, as to names, the disease is of frequent occurrence, and 
when left to itself, destroys many good horses by leaving them ever 
afterward sore and tender in front, as the horsemen have it. 

Symptoms. The horse will scarcely move ; stands upon his heels, 
with fore feet and legs stretched out as far as he can get to throw 
the weight off them. Thus, to all appearances, making the animal 
hollow in the breast, which appearance has given rise to the idea 
that the horse is chest-foundered. The hind legs are brought far 
in under the belly. The head of the horse is erect and high. 
Fever and constitutional disturbance are very great. The horse is 
extremely excitable, and breathing fast and laborious. Alto- 
gether, the poor suffering horse is the very picture of distress and 
disease. 

Causes. Giving cold water when overheated, and tired from 
overwork. A tendency in the feet to take on inflammatory action. 
The animal not in proper health or condition for performing heavy 
or fast work. 

Treatment. Place the horse in a wide and airy stall, with plenty 
of good straw for bedding to encourage the horse to lie down, 
which will relieve him very much. Indeed, so much is this the 
case, that it has been recommended that every foundered horse 
should be forcibly thrown and kept down, till the active stage of 
the disease has passed off. This, however, I do not advise, as the 
horse is excited enough without increasing it by throwing him 
from his feet. Rather give good bedding, and the majority of 
horses so affected will be ready and willing to lie down of their 
own aocord. After the place is all fixed, and the horse moved into 
it, give him twenty drops of the tinotur© of aconite root in a mipful 



-S26- 

of cold water, poured into the raouth with a bottle having a strong 
neck. Repeat the dose every four hours, till six to eight doses 
have been given. Apply cold ice water cloths to the feet. In a 
few hours, possibly, the shoes can be taken off. At first, this 
generally cannot be done, except the animal is down. Care should 
be taken in removing the shoes, so that every nail is made loose 
before an attempt is made to pull off the shoes. Have as little 
hammering on the foot as possible, as it will shake the great and 
over-sensitive frame. Let the cold water be kept on constantly for 
the next day, or until the active pain gives way. At leisure, the 
feet can be pared thin on the soles, so they will yield to pressure 
with the fingers. By getting the animal to lie down as soon aa 
possible after he gets in ; the cold water cloths applied, and the) 
aconite given ; the animal in a day or two may be nothing worse 
from the attack. The longer the animal remains before these 
remedies are applied, the less likely is he to be free from its effects 
afterwards. Before the horse is again put to work, be assured he 
has quite recovered. During the treatment, give plenty of cold 
water to drink. Never give tepid water to a horse while he is sick 
from disease. Give grass or soft mashes for a day or two, but do 
not keep a sick horse too long on lowfeed, as debility and swelling 
of the legs and various portions of the body will take place. 

Remember. Do not bleed, neither from the neck or foot, nor from 
any place else in a disease of this kind. 

(2.) Chronic Founder. — Symptoms, Cause and Treatment will be 
much the same, only it will not be necessary to push the treatment 
so far. Principally depend upon softening the horn of the feet, 
paring the soles of the feet, and a few days' rest. The horse, for a 
week or two afterwards, should be placed in a stall having six 
inches of sawdust spread over it, and kept a little moist with wate* 
poured over it once in a day. When horses are recovering from 
acute founder, they also might be placed in a stall so prepared. 
Clay stalls are objectionable. 

Fractures. — This term signifies a broken bone. Fractures 
are the result of great force applied to the bone, as from kicks, 
Alls, and accidents. 

Fractures occur in three forms. 



- 327 — 

(1.) The simple fracture or break, either oblique, or slanting, or 
itraight across the bone. 

(2.) The compound fracture, where the bones are broken in 
several places. 

(3.) The comminuted fracture, where the bones are broken in 
pieces, and the ends of the broken bones are seen cutting through 
the skin, and, possibly, severing some of the blood vessels^ causing, 
in many cases, death from loss of blood. 

The first, or simple fracture, is the only variety that calls for 
much notice, as the other forms of fracture, when occurring in 
horses, are beyond remedy. Simple fractures of the following 
named bones may, with care, be in a great measure cured, and the 
animal be made useful for many purposes ; as, for instance, it 
would be obviously wrong to have a valuable mare destroyed, be- 
cause of simple fracture of one of many bones, as she would be 
useful for breeding purposes, if not for the farm or the road. 

Fracture of the bones of the leg anywhere from the elbow down, 
except it may be the knee joint, can readily, with a little care and 
attention, be secured in its place, and the animal be made useful. 
So also the hind legs from the hock down to the foot. Fractures 
of the ribs usually get well of themselves, because they are always 
kept in place. So also of the haunch bone. Indeed, simple frac- 
tures of most any of the long bones will unite of their own accord, 
if the bones are put and kept in their places by proper fixings. 

Symptom*. The symptoms of fracture of the long bones of the 
legs are seen at once by the looseness of the leg, the horse not hav- 
ing the power to move it. The leg can be turned in any direction. 
The horse is in great pain, excitement, sweating, etc. If there are 
bones pointing through the skin, the horse had better be shot. 

Treatment, Place the horse, if in summer season, in the field, 
and in winter in the barn-yard, where there is not too much straw 
to prevent the foot being carried without interruption. 

Then give twenty-five drops of the tincture of aconite root every 
five hours, for the twenty-four hours, to relieve pain, excitement, 
and fever. Take hold of the broken leg carefully, and place it in 
a position as near like the other leg as possible, not only in shape, 
Dut in actual length by measurement, for it is the neglect of thia 
that some legs are left shorter and some longer after fractures. The 

22 



-828 — 

whole position of the leg being got at, apply a good coating of tar 
to the leg, around, above, and below the point of fracture. Then 
wrap the whole leg in oakum, coarse tow, or carded cotton. Over 
this, place broad pieces of boards, like shingles, on the sides and 
front of the leg, and fill all unevenness with the tow or cotton, so 
the splint or boards will lay flat on the leg. Secure the whole by 
careful tying with broad strings or soft cords. The great secret in 
the successful treatment of simple fractures of the bones of the legs, 
is the fixing of the leg, so it cannot move until they have united. 
Feed the horse well, and see every day that the splints on the legs 
are not loose. Never sling a horse from his feet in cases of fracture, 
for it will be regretted. If the horse is to be kept in a stall, make 
a hole in the floor of the stall, underneath the foot of the broken 
leg, so that he can stand with the leg at full length. Bear in mind, 
no horse will put his foot to the ground until he is able to do so; 
therefore, leave everything to the broken legged, except the matter 
of securing the broken bones in their place. And by giving him 
his feed, he may be safely left to himself, and nature will do the 
rest for him. 

Fracture of the Hip or Pelvis. — Symptoms. The horse is 
extremely down in one of the hips, with a peculiar loose motion 
of the hind leg, almost giving way every step the horse makes. 
There is no disease this can be mistaken for in the hind leg or hip. 
This fracture is produced in a moment ; and even whilst the horse 
is trotting, he will stop all at once as if he were shot. Fracture 
of the hip, I say hip — so that the unprofessional reader will better 
understand — but it is the bone of the pelvis. The mere name will 
not amount to much, for the treatment is : Let it alone, and it will 
get well in three months of itself without any interference from 
medicine or art. Turn the horse out for a few months, either in 
pasture or in the barn-yard, and give him plenty to eat. 

Fracture of the ribs will require no treatment, except it may be 
a few days' rest. Sometimes a swelling may be seen on the side 
of a horse having a broken rib, in a few days after the accident 
It may form an abscess ; if so, have it opened to let out the mat- 
ter ; and if it should not become soft and hold matter, let it alone, 
as it will do little harm ; or, make the application for a f3w times, 




THE SUNG IN USE. 



-329- 

say once a week for three weeks, of the ointment of iodine. (See 
Prescriptions and Medicines.) 

Fractures of the simple kind take place in various parts of the 
body, and when such is the case, and they do not interfere with 
any action or function of the body, they can be assisted only in so 
far as bandage and splint are concerned, so as to secure the ends 
in proper position. This will require some ingenuity, and cannot 
be described, as a bone is not always broken at one place, nor is it 
always of one set kind of break. The means will on these occa- 
sions have to meet the ends required of them in the best way 
possible. Sometimes pieces of broken bone will have to be taken 
out, where the bone has become detached. If this occur in the 
bones of the leg, of course the horse had better be shot. Where 
small pieces of bone become loose, it is usually in some of the flat 
bones, as the shoulder blade and the lower jaw bone, from kicks 
from other horses. 

Fractures of the teeth take place often, and where they are very 
loose in the head, they had better be taken out altogether, and rasp 
the sharp points of the broken ones with a file or rasp, to prevent 
cutting the mouth when the horse is chewing. 

Fungi as a Cause of Disease. — Much has been said and writ- 
ten of late years of minute fungi being the cause of diseases. Dr. 
Lessaure has made experiments with pencellum, etc., and con- 
cludes from them that fungus is not a cause, but an accidental 
presence. In contradiction of Hallier, and I might truthfully say 
of many other persons, it has been shown that nothing is to be 
gained in the study of the causes of disease by cultivating micro- 
scopic fungi, and it cannot be regarded as a contagious element 
until we have succeeded in producing disease from art. 

Frost Bites. — The results of frost bites may be called chill- 
blains, which again give rise to extreme swellings of the heels and 
back part of the hind legs, until finally the skin gives way, termi- 
nating in sores and ulcers that may at once be taken for scratches. 
The sores are deeper in such cases than in scratches or greasy legs, 
but closely resemble Phagadena (which see). In the worst cases 
we have seen, the skin and flesh sloughed, followed by gangrene 
or mortification of the leg, and death of the horse from the poison 
thus produced and absorbed. We have seen several cases of frost 



— 0&Q — 

oites in different stages and severities, and which, in all oases, was 
the result of broken and imperfect doors facing the northern ex- 
posure, and behind which stood the hind legs and heels of the 
horse. 

Treatment. If the legs be found, on opening the stable, to be 
swollen and painful, rub the parts with snow or ice-cold water, 
then follow gradually with warmer water, a degree or two above 
freezing ; and when warmth is restored, bathe with weak spirits. 
When the legs and heels break into sores and ulcers, apply, twice 
daily, carbolic acid (in crystals), four drachms ; olive oil, four 
ounces. Mix. 

Gangrene. — This is a name applied to, oris synonymous with, 
mortification or death of a part, and is characterized by a livid or 
black color. Gangrene is attended, or is ushered in, by a sudden 
giving way of pain, which has often been mistaken for recovery. 
When gangrene of an outward or external part takes place, there 
is a change in the condition of the part, it assumes a different as- 
pect, the swelling subsides, and upon touching the part a crack- 
ling sound is produced, owing to the evolution of gas. 

Gastritis Mucosa. — This is a new name to many persons, even 
well informed in diseases of horses, notwithstanding it is a very 
common one in the spring of the year, assuming always an epi' 
zootic form, and being closely allied to the epizootic catarrh, some- 
times called typhoid influenza. (See Influenza.) The chief 
difference in the symptoms between the two diseases, is the absence 
of a cough, which is always observed in influenza. The one dis- 
ease attacking the lining membrane of the windpipe ; the other, 
the mucous membrane of the stomach and bowels, or, in other 
words, the digestive organs, more than the respiratory*. Gastritis 
Mucosa is a fatal disease, if treated by low diet, bleeding, blister- 
ing and physicking, because it always assumes a low standard of 
vitality, or great weakness. Hence the horse so affected, and so 
treated, has no chance for his life whatever. 

Symptoms. As before stated, the horse has no cough, and the 
breathing is not disturbed. The breath and mouth are not hot or 
dry, but often the mouth is slimy, and to such an extent that it 
looks as if tbe hnr?° v?ere salivated. The legs soon swell, or be- 
come rounded, or filled, as they are often called. The s-.vt-llinga 



—331- 

•re not inflammatory nor painful ; they contain lymph, or plastt* 
matter from the blood, which disappears as it came, when the 
strength of the horse gets up again, and the disease subsides. The 
appetite is entirely suspended from the commencement of tl>e 
disease. There is one of the many symptoms, which is never ab- 
sent in this disease, and is very characteristic of its name and seat, 
and this symptom is that the feeces or dung is small, or in pellets, 
and covered with slime, and portions of the mucous membrane of 
the stomach and bowels, or what the stable-man calls " very fever- 
ish." The prominent symptom of this disease is great weakness, 
and this is the case almost from the first moment of the attack. 

Causes. The cause of this as well as of all epizootic diseases, is 
involved in not a little obscurity, and to get out of this state of 
ignorance and uncertainty as to the cause, we are graciously 
pleased to call it atmospheric. This atmospheric influence may be 
either electric, a poison, or a chemical element, capable of altering 
or changing the various parts or portions of the body most ex- 
posed to its subtle influences. However, this disease, as before 
stated, is peculiar to the spring of the year, commencing as the 
hermetically sealed earth begins to open its pores to the rain and 
sunshine of spring. May there not be deleterious emanations 
from the earth, or at least after great frost or snow, is there not 
during the process of thawing a colder air or gas given forth from 
the thawing process, than the animal is breathing a few feet higher 
up from the ground ? And in connection with this condition, we 
have in horses, at least, a want of their usual protection, fur with 
the warm sun of spring, the animal throws off his hairy coat, thus 
as it were unnecessarily exposing himself to these insidious causes 
of disease. 

Treatment. When cases of this and other diseases of the same 
type (gastritis mucosa) first came under my care, I treated upon 
different principles and with different medicines than what are here 
recommended. I look back with extreme dissatisfaction on the 
false doctrines and false teachings of the books and the schools 
which have led many inquiring minds astray since their day of 
teaching commenced. The treatment now recommended is sound 
and successful, and in a very short time the horse will be at work 
*gain, as if nothing had been amiss. The first day of the disease, 



— 832 — 

give, every four hours, twenty drops of the tincture of aconite root, 
in a little cold water ; next day, give the tincture of nux vomica in 
fifteen drops every four hours, in the same way, till the horse is 
well, which usually will be about the sixth or seventh day, and 
sometimes even sooner. If, however, the case does not improve, 
and the appetite is not good, give powdered carbonate of ammonia 
and gentian root, each three drachms to a dose, morning, noon, 
and night, in addition to the tincture of nux vomica. These med- 
icines will have to be mixed with cold water, and the horse 
drenched out of a strong-necked bottle or ox's horn cut slanting at 
the mouth. Keep the ammonia in a bottle tightly corked till it is 
used, as it loses its strength by exposure to the air. Let the horsfe 
have as much cold water to drink as he wants ; and for this pur- 
pose a bucketful should be kept before him. Pure air and good 
Ventilation should be insured to all sick horses. Green, or soft 
feed should be given from the first day, if the horse will eat it. 
Green feed all the time of sickness will be of advantage, but oats 
will have to be given in addition to support the strength and vital 
powers of the system, to enable him to throw off the effects of the 
disease. Such, then, is the manner of curing a disease which has 
destroyed many horses, even when treated by men calling them- 
selves veterinary surgeons, or at least horse doctors. (See Influ- 
enza and Rheumatism.) 

Glanders. — The following synopsis of a lecture delivered by 
Dr. McClure published in the Evening Bulletin will answer for the 
history and nature of the disease called glanders. The treatment 
will be made more plain for non-professional readers. 

Dr. Robert McClure, Veterinary Surgeon, delivered a very inter- 
esting lecture at the Veterinary College. His subject was " Glan- 
ders in Horses." He said : Qlanders is a disease dating from the 
time of Xenophon, or four hundred years before Christ, and we 
are assured by Hippocrates (ruler of the horse), that confirmed 
glanders was incurable, and that it was then known by the name 
Profiuvium Atticum. Veterinary surgeons recognize two varieties 
of Equinia in the horse, viz. : Equinia mitis, contracted from horses 
with greasy heels (Paronychia Equi), and Equinia Glandulosa, a 
dangerous disease, and readily communicated to man. Glanders 
is unknown at the tropics and at the poles, and is not seen wheia 



— 833 — 

struma is not a disease of the people. It is a domestic disease. 
The assignable causes are many, among which may be enumer- 
ated starvation, filth, and debilitating diseases, as strangles, catarrh 
and lung-fever, or, indeed, any disease capable of generating pus; 
and this pus being absorbed into the general circulation, thus 
forming a Ferment, a Zumin, or a Leaven, as the Bible has it, 
within the blood, the effort of nature to get rid of this offending 
matter is seen in the ulcerations of the lining membrane of the 
nose. The recent experiments of Professor Giovanni Polli, of 
Milan, seem to corroborate this view, as he has produced glanders 
and other Zymotic diseases in seventy dogs, by injecting into their 
blood in some cases fetid bullock's blood, pus, and glandered pro- 
ducts, and neutralizing the ferment so set up by the administration 
of an alkaline sulphite — a new intero- chemical doctrine — on the 
principle of arresting the vinous fermentation set up in a vessel of 
cider by adding to it a preparation of lime. The experiments of 
this distinguished professor, enable the veterinary surgeon to ex- 
tend his usefulness, and the domestic physician to snatch many a 
useful life from an early grave. How many brave men have stood 
the storm of battle in the late war — were admitted to the hospital 
with perhaps a shattered bone — amputation was performed, the 
case did well for a few days. The kind-hearted surgeon saw a 
change for the worse : appetite gone, the rigor and chill super- 
vened till it was too plainly seen that the pus from the stump had 
been absorbed into the blood of the unfortunate man ; fermenta- 
tion was set up, and death staring bim in the face, there was no 
power to save. The discovery of a ferment and its antidote have 
changed the scene from death to that of life. So, likewise, the 
veterinary surgeons, however ignorant and slow some of them are 
to see and understand, it will enable them to preserve the life of 
many a useful animal to its owner, thus adding very materially 
to the happiness and prosperity of this great and prosperous 
people. 

Glanders are recognized by ulceration of the lining membrane 
of the nose, or the formation of pustules, and commonly situated 
in the septum nasi. These pustules soon ulcerate and discharge 
pus of a greenish color, rapidty drying up when spread over the 
nostrils, and sinking in water, owing, as is supposed, to its con- 



. S»S*A __ 



taining no oil or pus cells, but principally albumen. There is 
one phenomenon never absent in this disease, and that is the en- 
larged gland under the jaw ; hence the common name of the dis- 
ease — glanders. There are, said the lecturer, many wrong ideas 
entertained, not only in regard to the contagious nature of the 
disease, but also in regard to its incurability and even fatality. 
Glanders is no more contagious than the heavy, stinking discharge 
from the nose of some horses with catarrh, as the pus of an ab- 
scess on the nose of a horse with a cold, when introduced into the 
blood of healthy animals, will produce a ferment — which explains 
the reason why a cold in horses terminates in glanders ; it is the 
absorption of the pus. This will be readily understood, when it 
is said the horse is running or bordering on glanders. Horses af- 
fected with chronic glanders will live and work for years, which 
fact, being well known, has caused dissatisfaction with local laws, 
prohibiting the use of glandered horses. 

Fresh specimens of sections of the lungs, nose, and other por- 
tions taken from a glandered animal, were placed at the disposal 
of the lecturer for the purpose of illustrating to the audience, 
showing the morbid changes effected by the disease. At the close 
of the lecture the doctor showed the manner of generating nascent 
hydrogen for the purpose of detecting the presence of the alkaline 
sulphite in the secretions of horses, under its effects, for the pur- 
pose of the cure of glanders. Before touching upon the plan of 
treatment, the reader is referred to the article Farcy. 

Treatment. The proposition of restoration in a disease of this 
kind, is the destruction of the ferment, the removal of its products 
or effects, and the improvement of the bad habit of body by en- 
riching the blood. 

To remove or neutralize the ferment or poison, give one-half to 
one ounce doses of the sulphite of soda at night, in cut feed, for 
several weeks, and five grains of the powdered Spanish fly along 
with it, which will act not only as a powerful tonic, but as. an 
agent whereby the product of the disease will be removed from 
the body of the animal by the kidneys. This treatment will not 
interfere with the other medicine, which is powdered gentian root, 
three drachms ; powdered sulphate of copper, two drachms. Mix 



-8S5 — 

these articles, and give the whole for a dose, and give one dose 
morning and mid-day. 

These medicines will have to be continued for a long time, not 
only to cure the disease, but to improve the health. The horse 
must be well and highly fed, and removed from other horses while 
the treatment is going on. Change the feed often, so as to get all 
the elements that the blood requires, and to keep up the appetite, 
for if the appetite fails, no cure can be made. 

Remember. Glanders associated with tubercles of the lungs, 
cannot be cured, and it then partakes rather of the nature of con- 
sumption than of simple glanders with tubercles, which is easily 
cured. 

Glass Eye. — (See Eye Diseases.) 

Gleet — (Nasal.) This term is used to denote a thin, trans- 
parent discharge from the nose in case of coryza, and as a sequel 
to catarrh and cold in old and debilitated horses. Whilst there 
are no ulcers on the lining membrane of the nose, or no enlarge- 
ment of gland under the jaw, the case may be dismissed as simple 
gleet, which can be readily cured by good feeding and a few tonic 
powders, such as powdered sulphate of copper, three ounces; 
powdered gentian root, four ounces ; powdered Spanish fly, one 
drachm. Mix and divide into twelve powders, and give one pow- 
der once in the twenty-four hour3. These powders will last two 
weeks, and can be renewed if necessary. Give the powders in 
large bulk or cut feed, so as to protect the coat of the stomach 
from the effects of the Spanish fly. 

Granulation. — This means the little red portions of flesh, which 
grow in and fill up holes made by wounds. Sometimes these 
grow too fast ; then they are unhealthy, being soft, grow beyond 
the edges of the wound. To prevent this, sprinkle a little pow- 
dered blue-stone, or a little sulphate of zinc, and the wound will 
soon heal level with the surrounding surface. 

Gravel in the Foot. — This name conveys an impression that 
sand or gravel has got into the foot, which is often the case from 
cracks or other openings in the foot, whether from above or below. 
Wash out the sand, if possible ; if not, remove some of the 
horn, and wash out well, and fill up the hole by shoemaker's wax 
applied hot, and smoothed over by the hand previously wet, so 



— S36— / 

the warm wax will not stick to it. If the opening be in the sola, 
shoe with leather soles, tar and cotton, until the hole has grown 
out or closed up. 

Grease. — This is a disease of the heels and legs of horses, 
characterized by an unsightly condition of the parts. The whole 
being the result of suppurative inflammatory action of the skin 
and heels of the hind legs, usually, but sometimes of the fore 
ones ; is more common in coarse-bred western horses, and heavy 
breeds, than in well or fine-bred horses. 

Cause. Sudden changes of the temperature of the earth, 
whether from heat to cold, or from wet to dry. This disease al- 
ways follows sloppy or wet streets, stables or lands, producing a 
relaxed condition of the parts from too much moisture. 

Treatment. Keep the legs clean and dry, and apply a mixture 
to the heels twice in the twenty-four hours. Water, one pint; 
sulphuric acid, two drachms ; corrosive chloride of mercury, one 
drachm. Mix, and shake up before using. Many cases are readily 
cured, by simply keeping the heels clean, and anointing with 
glycerine, or lard, having no salt in it. It must be confessed by 
everybody, who has had any experience at all in the treatment of 
this disease, that there is uncertainty of an early cure ; some cases 
will be cured in a short time, and in others it would seem that the 
discharge would never dry up and be healed. For. cases that prove 
obstinate, the following plan will effect a cure, when other vaunted 
remedies have failed : Take one box of concentrated lye, and dis- 
solve it in two quarts of water, and bottle up for use when wanted, 
in the following way : Pour a wine-glassful of the solution of lye 
into a small bucket of cold water, and wash and bathe the heels 
and legs for half an hour, morning and night. A great change for 
the better will be seen in a day or two. This wash seems to have 
the power of relaxing and softening the skin, and at the same 
time causes the legs to sweat greatly. Dry them as often after 
the bathing as you like, there will pour out great quantities of 
moisture from the skin as soon as you have done. 

Shot of Grease.— This is a different disease from the one de- 
scribed, from the fact that it attacks only one leg, and that one of 
the hind ones, and comes on in a night, without any preceding 
gym ptoms whatever, aud hence it is called a shot of grease. There 



— 337- 

is no cracking of the skin of the heels or legs, but it remain* 
whole and unbroken. 

Cause. Robust stamina, or too fat and full of flesh, and to get 
rid of this superfluity, plastic lymph is thrown into one of the 
hind legs, which causes swelling of the leg to an enormous size. 
If this material were thrown from the blood into one of the fore 
legs, where the nearness to the heart increases the activity of the 
capillary circulation, matter would not remain as it does in the 
hind legs, which are so far from the centre of circulation. This 
disease is not unlike the phlegmassia dolens, or milk leg in the hu- 
man family. 

Treatment. If the disease be observed early or before the leg 
becomes hard, take about one quart of blood from the neck, and 
give slop feed, that is, bran with plenty of water in it. Also, give 
one ounce doses of the sulphite of soda once in the day, for a few 
days, and bathe the legs three times in the day with the same 
solution of concentrated lye, as is recommended in grease (which 
see). If the swelling does not lessen in two days after these 
various agents have been employed, then incisions of an inch in 
length, through the skin, will have to be made for the purpose of 
letting out the imprisoned fluid before the arteries of the legs have 
become plugged or filled up, which constitute the thick or fat leg 
so often seen in horses in large cities. In addition, the leg will 
have to be bandaged pretty tightly with a broad bandage, and be 
still bathed three times in the day with the solution of concen- 
trated lye. Many good horses have been rendered of little value 
from want of a knowledge of this disease and its proper treat- 
ment. 

Gripes. — This name is sometimes applied to colic (which see). 

Grogginess. — A term meant to convey the idea that the horse 
does not travel very steady in front, from contracted or bent legs 
at the knee, or from soreness in the feet from a previous attack of 
founder in the feet (which see). 

Grunter. — This name is applied to horses that give forth a 
grunting noise. One condition giving rise to wheezing, roaring, 
whistling, piping, and rattling, will, with slight modification, pro- 
duce a grunter. 



Observe. If the collar is not too tight on the neck, interfering 
with the free passage of air in and out of the windpipe. 

Causes. Generally from some thickening of the glands of the 
neck, or of the windpipe — the effects of bronchitis or distemper, 
not treated, or improperly treated, in not supporting the strength- 
whereby all thickenings are taken up, or reduced and even pre- 
vented. 

Gullet, Obstructions in the. — (See Choking.) 

Gunshot Wound. — This is, excepting in times of war, a rare 
occurrence, and the treatment consists in extracting the bullet, and 
healing the wound as for an ordinary sore. The bullet is ex- 
tracted by an instrument called a Bullet Forceps. The instrument 
grasps the bullet, and extracts the ball. 

Gutta Serena. — (See Eye Diseases.) 

Heart, Disease of the. — Of diseases of the heart little need 
be said, and as little can be done in the way of cure ; so all I pro- 
pose under this head is merely to name a few of the altered con- 
ditions of the heart, which are all embraced in the sweeping term 
" Heart disease." 

(1.) Enlargement of the heart. 

(2.) Wasting or shrinking of the heart. 

(3.) Foreign bodies of the heart. 

(4.) Fatty degeneration of the heart. 

(5.) Inflammation of the heart. 

(6.) Ossification of tke heart. 

Heaves. — This is a term in frequent use, but not so well under- 
stood as it ought to be, seeing its importance as to the proper value 
of an animal. Heaves, then, may be defined as a difficulty in 
breathing, whereby the value and usefulness of the horse is 
seriously impaired. There is every degree of intensity to be seen 
in this disease. Some animals are so seriously affected, that it is 
hard to look at the terrible efforts made in the act of respiration. 
The deep and not suffered-to-be-completed respiration tells the 
tale of great asthmatic effort and oppression. In others, it is so 
slight that only experts can observe it ; not from the quickness of 
breathing, nor yet from its depth, but from a peculiar double beat 
or hitch, differing from all other varieties of breathing., either of 
fever, inflammation, or debility. 



<P» I* f ©> »°» J** J 10 t* 

IP 




— 839- 

Causes. Debility of the parvagum nerve; for if this nerve is 
divided or cut in its course, heaves, or broken wind, is set up at 
once. The real condition of this nerve, which gives rise to heaves, 
is not at present known ; and it is difficult, in many cases, to 
trace and distinguish any alteration of the nerves, as they may 
retain their color, yet their influence may be greatly impaired. 
For two reasons I have said debility. First, because, if it was 
cut, or had entirely lost its influence, the animal would die in 
forty-eight hours. Second, because, by the administration of 
powerful tonics, the symptoms of the disease are greatly relieved, 
and iu some cases they entirely disappear. 

Treatment. Horse-dealers, in order to allay the symptoms, that 
is, the peculiar breathing, give an ounce each of powdered sulphate 
of iron, gentian and ginger root. It is the largeness of the dose 
that is given, And repeated for a few days, that imparts a tonicity 
to the nerve. Although I have here spoken of this matter, I do 
not wish to be understood as advocating such treatment, nor a* 
attempting to cheat or deceive any one; but the large dose 
of iron meets my decided disapproval, as being highly injurious 
to the horse. The treatment, whatever that may be, to do good 
permanently, must be by a gradual and progressive improvement. 
Five grain doses of arsenic, given once in the twenty-four hours 
for two weeks; then, after a week's intermission, commencing as 
before, will soon cure many cases. Give the animal feed in small 
bulk. Use as little hay, or rough feed, in large bulk, as possible. 
Improve the condition of the horse by every way or means, and 
you will relieve the animal. 

Heat. — General heat of the skin indicates fever ; local heat, in- 
flammation. 

Hepatic Diseases. — (See Liver, Inflammation of the.) 

Hernia. — This is a name given to ruptures. (See Ruptures.) 

Herpes. — A name used in skin diseases. (See Mange and Skin 
Diseases.) 

Hereditary Diseases. — No one, of any observation, can deny 

that hereditary influence exists in the production of disease. This 

influence must not, in the production of disease, be considered as 

invariably reliable. The fact of horses or mares having a disease, 

is no reason why their young will have the same disease, also. It 
as 



— 840 — 

was through change or alteration of structure, action or function, 
that existed in either of the parents, that disease fastened upon 
them, and these same forms which existed in them are likely to 
be transmitted to the offspring, thus carrying the various forma- 
tions of structure, which will ultimately, in all probability, produce 
the same disease. A great number of the affections which are 
usually styled hereditary do not make their appearance until years 
after their birth, because it required time and work to develop 
them. Few persons would expect a horse with cow hock (which 
see), to become curbed without work, as a secondary cause. There 
is one other point which is worthy of remark, in speaking of 
hereditary diseases, which is that many animals, after being poorly 
bred, have been badly fed and cared for ; whereas if good feeding 
and care had been bestowed upon them, it would have gone a long 
way in lessening the certainty of developing hereditary diseases in 
them and their offspring. Jhis is every day being illustrated in 
the family of men. There are several rules laid down to be ob- 
served as measures to prevent and modify conditions which result 
in producing diseases of hereditary predisposition. And there 
have been receipts found in the temple of iEsculapius, and said to 
be in the handwriting of Hippocrates himself, for the purpose of 
mitigating the hereditary conditions, which are so often seen in 
the human family. Although these rules cannot, in all cases, be 
applied to animals, nevertheless much can be done. The better 
way will be to avoid breeding from diseased animals. So long as 
lika begets like, so long will we have hereditary diseases among 
horses. 

Hide Bound. — This, properly speaking, is not a disease, but 
the symptoms of a bad condition, ' out of sorts," debility, etc. 

Treatment. Feed in large bulk, mixed feed — cut hay, corn meal, 
and bran in good proportion — with no more water than will keep 
the particles together. Give the following powder in feed every 
night, for twelve nights : — Powdered sulphate of iron, three 
drachms ; powdered gentian root, four drachms. Mix. If the 
animal is fat and yet hide bound, substitute the following, instead 
of the above recommended : — Take sulphuret of antimony, three 
drachms; sulphur in flour, three drachms; sulphite of scda, half 
an ounce. Mix, and give in one dose, repeating it every night for 



— 841 — 

two weeks. If in the winter, use an extra blanket. If in summer ? 
give cut grass to eat. 

Hip-joint Disease. — Happily, this is a very rare disease in 
horses, and does not make its appearance so soon as in man. It 
is always the result of accident or injury, and is a joint affection — 
not of the muscles, because the mass of muscles are so very great 
over the hip, that it is not an easy matter to sprain them. I speak 
of this here, because among horsemen it is a great bug-bear, often 
occurring in their ideas ; whereas in ninety-nine cases out of a 
hundred of their so-called hip and whirl bone disease, the lameness 
will be found in the hock-joint. Why do they jump at the con- 
clusion that the lameness is in the hip ? Because in every move- 
ment of the hock -joint, the vibration or hitch is more distinctly 
seen by the altered action of the muscles of the hip, as when the 
hock -joint moves but partially, and not completely, it is not so 
readily seen at the hock as at the hip. Hence, this is but the old 
adage, cause and effect ; in this case the horseman ha3 then* re- 
versed. (See Spavin.) 

Symptoms. Lowness or falling in of the hip ; a peculiar manner 
of moving, not indicating inability as is seen in fracture of the 
pelvis bone, but of great pain and difficulty ; not yielding or bend- 
ing low down on that quarter when the horse takes a step. The 
leg appears shorter, and is placed, when standing, slightly under 
the body, and not doubled up, or standing upon the toe as is seen 
in cases of hock-joint disease. 

Treatment. Absolute and entire rest for a few weeks. The sp 
plication of cold water cloths over the hip, taking them off at 
night, and applying them in the morning again. This will have 
to be kept up for a week, at least, so that all heat and tenderness 
will be removed before any irritant can be used to the parts. 
(Never apply hot liniments to a part already too hot and painful.) 
Then apply by rubbing with the hand over the parts, every second 
day, the following : Oil of turpentine, one ounce ; oil of cloves, two 
ounces ; creosote, one ounce. Mix. This will not only act as an 
irritant, but as a powerful sedative to the nerves of the parts, caus- 
ing relief from pain, so that the animal can be made useful. 

Hock, The. — This is an important joint or part of the horse; 
and is the seat of many diseases, causing lameness. In the 



— 845 — 

majority of hind leg lameness, the hock is the true situation. Thia 
fact is not apparent to the non-professional person, as the hock, 
while diseased, does not swell so often as other portions of the 
body or legs when diseased. Bog or blood spavin and thorough- 
pin, a blind man can almost see. With these exceptions, I say, 
hock -joint lameness, in the majority of cases, is charged to the hip 
or somewhere else, simply because persons fail to see any pecu- 
liarity, even when pointed out to them. (See String-halt.) 

Sprain of the hock-joint is to be treated with cold water cloths, 
for a few days, and the application of the following, once every 
second day, for a week, with friction or rubbing: Oil of turpen- 
tine ; oil of olives ; equal parts. Mix. This is a simple, cheap, 
and good liniment, and will answer every purpose. 

Rupture of the internal and external lateral or side ligaments 
of the hock -joint is occasionally seen, and is caused by a violent 
slip. The rupture is at once recognized by the loss of power of 
the horse over the leg below the joint ; but can stand on the leg, 
as if it were sound, and there is little or no swelling — which pe- 
culiarities serve to show the difference between a broken bone of 
the leg and the ruptured ligaments of a joint. (See Ligaments.) 
The cure is accomplished by absolute and entire rest, with occa- 
sional friction with the turpentine liniment, just mentioned above. 
Be assured of the complete union of the ligaments — which will 
take place when the horse can bend and properly use the leg — be- 
fore exercise or work be exacted. 

Hooks in the Eyes. — This is a term in use by country folks 
when referring to the peculiar action of the membrana victalans in 
cases of locked-jaw (which see). Many persons have advised 
that these useful membranes should be cut out. Nothing could 
be further wrong than this ; for it is merely the effect of a cause. 
Rather remove the cause, or cure the locked-jaw, and the protrud- 
ing of the hook or horns will cease. This is the only true plan 
to adopt. 

Horse, Natural History of the. — The horse comes under 
the division vertebrata, class mammalia, tribe ungulata, order 
pachydermata, family solipeda. 

Horse Fly. — This comprehends the gad or breeze ily, Gaster- 
rphllvA astrus. The ipotted horse fly, G. Equi. The red tailed 



horse fly, Q. hemorrhoidalis. This last fly deposits her eggs on 
the lips of the horse, and the former glues them to the hair of the 
legs. These various eggs are ultimately taken into the stomach, 
and in one year they have become sufficiently matured that they 
are thrown out to the outer world to get wings, and finally fly 
about and propagate their kind in the same manner as the parent 
stock. (See Worms.) 

Humanity to Animals, Hints on. — (1.) Warm the bit in 
frosty weather, before putting it into the horse's mouth. 

(2.) Let the horse lick a little salt from your hands whenever 
you offer him the bit. 

(3.) Never startle a horse by striking him suddenly or unex- 
pectedly. This caution is specially important if he has a blind 
bridle. 

(4.) Uniformly gentle treatment will secure faithful and steady 
work. Anger, severity, and sudden jerking, endanger your har- 
ness, your vehicle, and your life, besides permanently injuring 
your horse. 

(5.) Be well provided with horse-blankets, particularly at night. 
If you are waiting for passengers, while you look out for your own 
comfort by a warm fireside, or in thick wrappers, see that your 
faithful brute companion is also protected from the chilly air. 

(6.) Wash the inside of the collar frequently with castile soap 
suds, and when it has thoroughly dried, gently warm the leather 
and soak it with oil, so as to soften it. But do not allow any oil 
to remain on the surface of the leather, unabsorbed. 

(7.) If the shoulders are tender, feverish, and disposed to chafe, 
they should be well rubbed, and afterwards washed with salt 
water. This should be done after unharnessing, so that the parts 
bathed may be dry before work is resumed. 

(8.) Do not be tempted by extra pay to overload your team. 
Overloading occasions blindness, spavin, splint, glanders, farcy, 
and other painful and fatal disorders, and thus risks the loss of 
your capital, besides injuring yourself by encouraging a cruel dis- 
position. 

(9.) See that the harness fits easily in every part, and that the 
shoes are tight and well put on. If there are chains connected 



- — 844 — 

with any part of the harness, let them be well covered with soft 
padded leather or fur. . 

(10.) Let your tones, in addressing the horse, be always gentle, 
soothing, and pleasant. Pat him often, and encourage every sign 
of attachment that he gives. 

(11.) Every truck, or other vehicle, should have a prop stick 
hung to the shafts, to relieve the burden of the load whenever the 
team is standing. 

(12.) Curry, rub, and clean well, and thoroughly, at least, once 
every day. The effect is worth half the feed. A dirty coat and 
skin, when the animal is deprived of exercise in pasture, and of 
rolling on the grass, cannot fail to produce disease. 

(13.) Never use a check rein. It is a false taste that thinks a 
horse more beautiful when his head is fastened in an unnatural 
position. The bearing rein keeps a horse in a constant fret, makes 
him restless and uneasy, and often prevents him from recovering 
himself in case of a stumble or fall. 

(14.) Your stable should be perfectly level, or very slightly in- 
clined, well lighted, well drained, well ventilated, and well pro- 
tected from draughts, and from extremes of heat and cold. Keep 
the crib clean and free from dust, and keep the hay and other fod- 
der as far from the stall as possible, so as to be away from the 
steam and breath of the animal. 

(15.) If you use ground feed, remember that at many of the 
mills and stores it is adulterated with marble or plaster of paris, 
or with the sweepings of canal boats and barges. Such adultera- 
tion not only robs your animals of nourishment, but produces 
stone, and shortens life. 

(16.) If you suspect adulteration, you can sometimes detect it, 
by heating a portion of the feed to a red heat, in an iron vessel. 
After the whole has been reduced to ashes, if they contain plaster 
the ashes will soon set or harden, after being mixed with water to 
the consistency of paste. 

(17.) In hot weather, keep a wet sponge on the head of the horse 
or mule ; cool the mouth and face with wet sponges ; furnish drink- 
ing water often, and sponge the legs and such parts as are liable 
to chafe by perspiration or otherwise ; drive slowly, and ^ssen the 
weight usually imposed in cooler weather; see that the harnesir- in 



— 848 — 

not unnecessarily cumbersome and heavy ; the discomfort may be 
materially relieved by taking off the eye-blinds, which are useless 
appendages, and cause much annoyance to the animal. 

(18.) Do not urge your beast beyond a walk when the heat is 
oppressive ; finally, use a head-shelter or awning, constructed of 
wire and covered with canvas, which can be attached to the 
animal's head without materially adding weight. 

(19.) In icy weather keep your animal sharp shod, renewing the 
sharpening as often as the shoes become blunt. A few dollars ex- 
pended in this way will undoubtedly save your horse from serious 
injury, and, perhaps, from loss of life. 

(20.) Standing on fermenting manure softens the hoof, produces 
thrush, and brings on lameness. Keep the litter dry and clean, 
and cleanse the stall thoroughly every morning. 

(21.) Sharp bits make the mouth tender at first, and afterwards 
callous, so that the horse becomes unmanageable. 

(22.) If your horse kicks and plunges on mounting, look to the 
stuffing of your saddle, and see if it has become hard and knotty 
with use. 

(23.) Keep your wheels well greased, and thus reduce the labor 
of drawing the load. 

(24.) Keep the feet well brushed out, and examine every night 
to see if there is any stone or dirt between the hoof and the shoe. 
Change the shoes as often as once a month. 

(25.) Disease or wounds in the feet or legs soon become dan* 
gerous if neglected. 

(26.) When a horse is hot and fatigued from labor, walk him 
about till cool ; groom him quite dry, first with a wisp of straw, 
and then with a brush ; rub his legs well with the hand, to remove 
any strain, soothe the animal, and detect thorns and splinters, 
and give him his grain as soon as he is cool, dry, and willing to eat. 

(27.) On the evening before a long journey give double feed ; on 
the morning of starting give only half a feed of grain, or a little 
hay ; on the road feed in small quantities about every two hours. 

(28.) When horses are long out at work provide them with nose- 
bags and proper food. The nose-bag should be leather at bottom, 
and of basket-work or open texture above. On coming home give 
& double feed of graia. 



— 84© — 

(29.) Lead the horse carefully into and out of the stable. Accus- 
tom him to stand quite still till you are seated. Start at a walk, 
and go slowly the first and last mile. 

(30.) Never use the whip if you can help it. It will then always 
be available as a last resource. 

(31.) Be always on your guard, just feeling the mouth with the 
bit, lightly and steadily. 

(32.) If a horse shies, neither whip him nor pat him, but speak 
encouragingly, and let him come slowly towards the object. 

(S3.) If you value your own life, the lives of others, or your 
horse, never drive fast in the dark, or in a town. 

(34.) Never add your own weight to a load that is already heavy 
enough. Get out and walk when you ascend a hill. If you stop 
on a hill, put a stone behind the wheel. 

(35.) Never tease or tickle the horse. 

(36.) Don't forget that old horses, like old men, lose their teeth 
and their chewing abilities ; therefore, bruise the oats and corn, 
and chop the hay for the old nags who can't get " store te°th." 

Hydrothorax. — This is the name given to water when it accu- 
mulates in the chest. Hence, hydro, water: and thorax, the 
chest. 

Causes. Debility from the effects of inflammation of some of 
the organs within the chest. 

Treatment. Tonics to improve the general health, and medicines 
to draw off the water by the kidneys and bowels. An operation is 
recommended by which the fluids are drawn from the side by 
means of a trocar. (See Dropsy.) 

Hydrocele. — A collection of fluid in the scrotum of stallions. 

Treatment. Paint the scrotum with the tincture of benzoin or 
iodine. If these remedies are not successful in causing absorption 
of the water, the skin of the scrotum will have to be opened to let 
out the fluid. 

Hydronernia. — A name used when speaking of the blood when 
it contains too much water — water in the blood. (See Dropsy.) 

P5ydrophcbia. — This disease, happily, is rare — in a practice of 
thirteen years, and doing much in the treatment of diseases of 
horses, and being well acquainted with the practice of oth <?r per- 
sons, I can only record three cases, and one of these was a inuie. 



— 847 — 

This disease is sometimes oalled water dread and canine rabies, 
from the fact that it is only generated in the dog and feline species 
of animals. 

Cause in Horses. Bites of the mad dog, and sometimes the bit8 
from the common cat is capable of producing the disease. 

Symptoms. In those cases that came under my notice the 
symptoms were anything but like each other. In one animal, the 
propensity to bite at objects was more severe ; and in another, the 
horse would walk and look about him, utter a peculiar sound, and 
lie down and get hold of the heels and part of the arm of the fore 
leg with his teeth, till he had them bleeding, get up again, and 
walk about without any apparent object in view. But the de- 
structive impulse attributed by some authors, I think, is merely 
the fancy of an inexperienced mind in such matters. The symp- 
toms of the mule differed from each of the horses, inasmuch as he 
would, at times, eat hay very ravenously, stop all at once, and 
with a peculiar sound, not like the bark of a dog, but of a char- 
acter which cannot be described, lie down and have a good roll to 
himself; then he would run at any person within his reach with 
open mouth. But in no instance did any of the cases attempt to 
bite at anything not endowed with animal life. All of these 
animals were confined in enclosures from which they could not 
escape. They lived about thirty-six hours after the actual symptoms 
of the disease set in. (See Bites of Mad Dog.) Any person hav- 
ing the least experience with horses, may observe peculiarities, at 
times, which do appear not to belong to common diseases. 

Hypertrophy. — This name means a state of certain organs in- 
creased in size, and decreased in power. The heart, kidneys, 
spleen, liver, and other parts of the body, are liable to this dis- 
ease. 

Hypodermic. — Under the skin. (See Endermic.) 

Hysteria. — This is a disease which is sometimes seen in mare» 
only. 

Causes. Irritation of the uterus, or of some of its nerves. 

Symptoms. Great excitement and incapability of standing, and 
it appears as if some of the bones of the back or loina wera 
broken. 

Treatment. Give twenty drop* oi tko tin«turt tf iitonit* root 



— 348 — 

every four hours, whilst the symptom lasts. Build up the strength 
of the mare by the following: Sulphate of iron, three drachms; 
gentian root, three drachms. Mix, and give in one dose every 
day, for a week or ten days. Give good feeding. 

Caution. Unsafe to use ; will return again. 

Indigestion. — However much man, in the sedentary walks of 
life, may be the subject of this disease, the horse with a task-mas- 
ter is comparatively free from it. Cases do occur, occasionally, in 
our large cities, where in too many cases the horse is left standing 
in the stable twenty out of the twenty-four hours. Idleness be- 
gets indigestion, and indigestion begets crib-biting, or wind-suck- 
ing, and between them the poor horse loses flesh, condition and 
spirit. (See Crib-biting.) 

Treatment. Send the horse to pasture, and when he returns give 
him regular feed, and regular work to prevent a return of it. 

Infection. — (See Contagion.) 

Inflammation. — Inflammation of the various portions or parts 
of the body will be found treated of under the name of the organ 
or part affected. 

Influenza. — This is a name which is properly applied to an 
epizootic catarrh of frequent occurrence in the spring of the year. 
Indeed, it is very rare that we see a cold run its course as such, 
without some complication of one kind or another. 

Symptoms. A chill or shivering fit, succeeded by increased heat 
of the body, with fever and irritation. Loss of appetite, cough, 
discharge of mucus from the nose, watering of the eyes, great 
prostration of strength, followed in a day or two with swellings of 
the legs, and in bad cases, of the belly, breast, and in males, of , 
the sheath ; such is a true and succinct account of the symptoms 
of this disease. The symptoms will vary, as in other diseases, 
with the intensity of the affection. 

Causes. A subtle poison in the air, sudden changes in the dry- 
ness or moisture of the earth's surface, easterly winds, cold accom- 
panied with dampness in the air. These are conditions which too 
often accompany or precede influenza, which differs from an at- 
tack of common cold, chiefly in the severity of its effect, causing 
more fever and greater debility. In England it was first observed 
in 1819, and again in 1832, and more or less ever since. In the 



— 349 — 

United States it first manifested itself in 1856, and is still seen 
every spring and fall with symptoms more or less severe. 

Treatment. The mortality in this disease is great, when treated 
according to the books which our publishers frequently issue — old 
English books, with new dresses cut to the fashion. Bear this in 
mind, when undertaking the treatment of a disease of this kind, 
that one step wrongly taken can never be recalled. Place the 
horse in a cool (not cold) and airy place, put a light covering upon 
him, and give him twenty drops of the tincture of aconite root in 
a little cold water, every four hours, till five doses are given. 
Place plenty of cold water before the horse so that he can drink 
as much as he wants. When the aconite has been all given com- 
mence with fifteen-drop doses of tincture of mix vomica, which 
repeat every four hours, continuing it for a few days, and if the 
animal improves, and the appetite returns, nothing more in the 
way of medicine need be given. Recovery, being slow, and the 
appetite poor, give the following powders, morning, noon and 
night : Powdered carbonate of ammonia, three ounces ; powdered 
gentian' root, two ounces ; powdered pimenta berries, two ounces ; 
mix, and divide into twelve powders, and give them mixed in a 
little cold water, and drench the horse out of a strong-mouthed 
bottle. The powders will have to be wrapped well, so as to keep 
them from the air, and prevent the loss of their strength. Twenty 
drops of commercial sulphuric acid may be given occasionally, in 
half a bucket of cold water, which the horse will readily drink. 
Do not apply blisters or anything to the throat, as is too often 
done ; they can do no good, but positively much harm. Be as- 
sured the animal has fully recovered its strength before putting to 
work. If treated in the manner described, in from five to six 
days the horse will be almost well again. (See Gastritis Mucosa 
and Rheumatism.) 

Injections. — These are composed of warm water, soap, and a 
handful of table salt ; the water about luke-warm. The usual 
way to give injections, is by means of a large syringe, capable of 
holding a quart of the fluid. The diseases which call for injec- 
tions, are the various varieties of colic. Few medicines will cure 
colic without the aid of injections; whereas, colic, in very many 
cases, can be readily cured by the injection alone. Therefore, 



— $so — 

never put confidence in any person who undertakes to cure colic, 
without injections of warm water, soap, and salt. 

Intestines. — -Introsusception, or an entangling of the intestines, 
sometimes takes place in horses, and proves fatal. 

Causes. Bowels empty, and the horse being driven fast. 

Symptom. When the horse comes in, he is observed to be un- 
easy — lying down, pawing with his feet, following closely the 
symptoms of colic. The difficulty or impossibility of procuring 
relief, is only seen on examination, after the horse is dead. (See 
Bowel Diseases.) 

Itch. — (See Mange and Skin Diseases.) 

Interfering. — This name is in use when speaking of a horse hit' 
ting himself on the inside of the pastern joint, either on the hind 
or fore leg. Sometimes it is called cutting. It is usually done 
with the side of the opposite foot. 

Causes. The blacksmith is many times wrongfully blamed for 
want of attention or skill in shoeing the horse, because he inter- 
feres. There are cases, no doubt, where a little observation and- 
care, on the part of the shoer, would have prevented it. From 
much observation, however, I am satisfied that the chief cause 
lies in the weakness of the horse, particularly in the spring of the 
year. Horsemen well know that their horses did not interfere in 
the winter months, when the weather was not oppressive, and the 
horse in excellent spirits ; and no changes have been made in the 
shoer or manner of shoeing. 

Treatment. Give a few powders of iron and gentian in the feed, 
to restore the horse to strength. (See Medicines.) 

Jack. — A small point on the inside of the hock-joint of the 
horse, affected with bone spavin. 

Jaundice. — This signifies bile in the blood; biliary intoxi- 
cation, tinging the membranes of the nose, mouth, etc., with a 
yellow color. 

Joint Diseases. — The diseases of the various joints in the horse, 
are many. Among them may be enumerated : Of spavin — bone, 
blood, bog and occult — four varieties, all of the hock -joint ; of the 
patella, in the form of dislocation ; of the hip. or whirl-bone joint, 
ulceration and sprain ; of the joints of the back-bones, earns and 
ulcerations ; of the foot, coffin-joint, commonly called navicular 



— SB1 — 

joint, lameness ; of the pastern-joints, anchylosis or stiff-joint; of 
the lower pastern, ring-bone ; of the knee-joint, stiffness and open 
joint ; of the point of the shoulders, ulceration and bulging out 
of the capsular ligament of the joint : wind galls, of almost all 
the joints, more specially in the pasterns. The cause and treat- 
ment of these affections will be found under their proper heads, 
throughout the book. 

Jugular Vein, Inflammation of. — This may be merely a sim- 
ple swelling, after bleeding, caused by bruising the parts, by too 
great force applied when bleeding, or by closing the wound too 
tightly, causing extravasation of blood, between the skin and the 
fascia. Inflammation of the jugular may be of great magnitude, 
involving that vessel the whole length of the neck, above and be- 
low the wound made by bleeding, ultimately causing its entire 
obliteration. And, occasionally, the inflammation extends to the 
brain itself, destroying life. Happily, bleeding is not now recom- 
mended in the treatment of disease ; consequently, this affection 
will be among the diseases of the past. 

Treatment. Remove the pin, or whatever has been used to close 
the wound, and apply a piece of blue-stone to the bleeding sore; 
this may be used, once a day, for a day or two. Hot fomen- 
tations, or a small poultice, should be applied to the part, to abate 
inflammation or irritation. The fomentation will have to be ap- 
plied the whole length of the thick corded vein, to cause its re- 
laxation. Cut the feed for the horse, so as to save the movement? 
of the jaws, thus giving rest, as much as possible, to the parts af- 
fected. 

Kidneys, Diseases of the. — The most important of which is 
that already described under the head of diabetes (which see). 
Hematuria or bloody urine is occasionally seen in horses, mor* 
frequently in cattle, and consists in a diseased state of the kidneys, 
from violent strains or accidents. 

Calculi, or stones in the kidneys, are often found in the kidneys 
of horses, and cause considerable irregularity in making water. 

Treatment. Occasionally give thirty to forty drops of muriatic 
acid, in a bucket of cold water, to drink. 

Bloody urine may be treated by warm -water cloths, laid over 
the back or in a situation above the kidneys. Use flaxseed tea 



— 352 — " 

as a drink, to soothe the parts. Give no saltpetre or other medi- 
cines. 

In old horses, as in old men, considerable chronic disease of the 
kidneys exists. Although little can be accomplished in the way 
of cure by medicines, a great deal can be done to soothe the parts, 
by soft and soothing feed and drink, such as steamed or boiled 
feed and flaxseed tea, cut grass and other green feed, with plenty 
of cold water, at all times to drink. The more fluids that go into 
the body, the less irritation of the bladder and kidneys. (See 
Bladder Diseases.) 

Knees Broken. — (See Broken knees.) 

Knee Joints, Loose Cartilages in the. — Small loose cartilage 
is sometimes found floating in the knee-joint of horses, as well as 
of man, and is the Cause of much of the obscure lameness that is 
so often unaccounted for, and, so far as I am aware, has never 
been noticed by other writers. The lameness is very sudden, and 
passes off as if nothing had happened, constantly coming and 
going. 

Treatment. Remove the body from the joint by first getting it 
into a corner and holding it there, and cutting and taking it out ; 
this is too dangerous an operation for every person to undertake, 
as it is cutting into a synovial cavity. 

Knuckling. This is a peculiar loose double action of the 
pastern of the hind legs, and is a symptom rather than a disflpse 
of itself. 

Cause. Disease of the hock-joint, and weakness in the part 
from the effects of sprains, or other injury. It also accompanies 
occult and bone spavin. 

Observe. Knuckling of the hind pasterns is a symptom strongly 
indicative that the animal has had an attack of paralysis or is 
likely to have one ; at all events it clearly shows that either the 
brain or spinal cord is to a certain extent diseased, resulting in 
loss of motive power in the pasterns. 

Treatment. Feed the horse well, and give fifteen drops of the 
tincture of nux vomica three times in the day. If the hock-joint 
be the cause, treat the hocks as for spavin, or palliate the symp- 
toms by applying two parts of olive oil, and one part of creosote 
and oil of turpentine, two to three times in the week. 



-353- 

Lameness. — Lameness occurs in many ways, and from many 
causes, such as fractures, bruises, sprains, wounds or injuries, all 
of which will be found treated of, under their various names, 
through the book. 

Laminitis. — A name in use by veterinary surgeons when 
speaking of founder, and is a generic term from lamina, or leaf— 
which forms the bond of unity between the sensible and insen- 
sible structures of the horse's feet, and is the seat of the disease 
commonly called founder. (See Foot Diseases.) 

Lampas. — This is' a name applied to a slight enlargement, 
swelling, or fulness of the bars of the mouth of young horses 
from the changes of teething. Pinching the skin of the bars with 
the nail of the thumb till they bleed, and rubbing in a little table 
salt, is much better than burning the mouth with a red-hot iron 
— the effects of which the animal never forgets nor forgives, as is 
shown in any attempt to do anything about his head. 

Laryngitis. — This is a disease or inflammation of the upper 
portion of the windpipe, accompanied with fever, increased 
breathing, and cough. The cause and treatment of this disease 
will be the same as for bronchitis (which see). 

Leg, Fractures of the. — (See Fractures.) 

Lice. — Lice of various kinds are often the source of much 
trouble amongst horses kept in the vicinity of hen or chicken 
houses. 

Symptoms. Uneasiness, rubbing, and scratching; stamping 
with the feet and biting at the legs, as if something were annoying 
him. 

Treatment. Take of the liver of sulphur, one ounce ; cold water, 
one pint. Mix, and appty with a hard brush to but a portion of 
the body at a time. If that is not effectual, get bi-chloride of 
mercury, thirty -two grains ; cold water, one pint. Mix, and ap- 
ply with a brush to a portion only at a time, or a piece of the 
body every day, till all has been gone over with the brush. This 
is very weak, and can do the horse no harm. 

Ligaments. — These are strong, fibrous substances, which bind 
together the different bones of the body or skeleton. There are 
two great classes of ligaments ; the rounded, or the lateral, and 
23 



— S54- 

the capsular, or Back-like ligaments, as of the shoulder and hip- 
joint. 

Lipoma. — A variety of fatty tumor. (See Tumors.) 

Liver. — The liver is the largest secreting gland of the body, 
situated within the short ribs on the right side. Its function is 
the secretion of bile — a yellow alkaline or soapy fluid. 

Without the liver, digestion and animal heat cannot be main- 
tained, and the waste or effete matter cannot be removed from the 
blood. So, therefore, when the liver is disturbed, there can be no 
health in the rest of the system. 

Inflammation or the Liver. — The horse is rarely the subject of 
inflammation of this organ in an acute, but more commonly in a 
chronic form. It is often met with from the fact of many horses 
being highly fed, and having nothing to do. 

Symptoms. The affected part is very obtuse. But we have a very 
striking analogy of this disease between man and the horse, which 
materially assists in forming a correct opinion as to the disease. 
Pain and lameness in the right shoulder are characteristic of liver 
disease, whether in man or horse, and have often been mistaken 
for and treated as the disease itself. Not less so is the peculiar 
yellowness of the membranes of the eyes, nose and mouth, con- 
stituting a disease called by old horse doctors the yellows. 

Treatment. Give powdered aloes, four drachms; powdered 
ginger root, two drachms ; podophyllin, one drachm. Mix, and 
make into a paste with molasses, and form a bolus, or crumble 
the mass in a little thin gruel, and drench the horse with it. Feed 
the horse with green and soft feed to keep the bowels open. 

These measures being neglected, suppuratibn or an abscess will 
be formed, and break into the bowels, or become absorbed and 
fevoduce glanders, which I believe to be a prolific cause of this 
uteease, and which is preceded by ill health and bad habit of 
body, terminating by a mysterious and unaccountable discharge 
from the nose, inasmuch as it is not accompanied with cough, and 
other symptoms of cold. 

Locked-jaw. — This disease occurs usually after wounds of the 
feet, as from nails running into the feet, from wounds and frac- 
tures, and from a simple wound of a tendinous portion of *he body. 
Locked-jaw occurring after wounds or other injuries, is called traw 



- 883 - 

matic. And when locked-jaw takes place, as it sometimes does, 
without any injury or assignable cause, it is called idiopathic 
locked-jaw. Looked jaw may be defined a spasmodic contraction of 
the muscles of the body, often confined to one set of muscles alone. 
I have in practice seen the same contraction in one set of muscles 
of the body, and the muscles of the jaw free from the cramps and 
not fixed at all, and depending upon the same causes that often 
produce fixedness of the jaw. Locked-jaw is sometimes confined 
to the muscles of the neck, and is then called trismus. 

Symptoms. The symptoms accompanying locked-jaw in the horse 
are so well known to everybody, that little need be said by me 
about them further than that there is general stiffness and fixed- 
ness in the manner of standing, and a peculiar expression of coun- 
tenance. The extended and dilated nostril, and the fixed ear, tell 
the fact, very plainly, that the muscles of the head and neck are 
beyond the control of the animal, else his jaw or mouth would not 
be kept closed. 

Treatment. Remove the painfully-stricken animal into a placo 
by himself, where he will have plenty of air, and no sound or sight 
to disturb him, and where no curious idler can enter. Place a 
bucket of cold, thin gruel where the horse can get at it, without an 
effort to himself to reach it. This is all the feed he will be likely 
•nabled to take for a period of from three to sixteen days. Renew 
it once a day, and keep it sweet. He may be able to suck this 
through his teeth. Small, choice morsels of other food should also 
Oe placed within his reach, so as no opportunity be lost whereby 
his stomach may be filled, and his overtaxed strength be sup- 
ported. 

In securing the gruel or other feed, have everything at hand, so 
that only one journey will be necessary, in the twenty-four hours, 
to the place he is confined in. Open not the door of his hous* 
twice when once can be made to answer: thus much suffering may 
be avoided, and the chances of recovery enhanced. All the med* 
fcine necessary for the horse to have, will be one drachm doses, 
once in the twenty-four hours, of prussic acid. Great care will 
have to be exercised in keeping this powerful poison ; and consid- 
erable judgment as to how this medicine is to be given to an 
Animal with his jaws closed. Gently elevate the head a little to 

S4 



— 336 — 

insure proper gravitation, and pour the acid into the widest part 
between his teeth, and hold the head steadily for a few minutes; 
then retire, and close the door, not a loud word being spoken. A 
table or dessert spoon will answer for the purpose very well. Vet- 
erinary surgeons have an elastic tube, which is introduced into the 
back part of the mouth, and the acid poured down the tube. 

If the animal live from three to four days, and is afforded every 
opportunity to eat a little, he may get well. Whatever the wounds 
or injuries that have given rise to the loeked-jaw, they should be 
dressed with equal portions of olive oil and creosote, which will 
soothe the irritated nerves of the part. An occasional poultice of 
flaxseed may be necessary. 

Above all things, neither bleed nor physic, as these can do no 
good, and will only hasten the death of the animal by taking 
away whatever strength he may have, all of which will be neces- 
sary to carry him through so severe a disease. 

Loins. — Sprain of the loins or small of the back is sometimes 
seen in weakly built horses of irritable disposition. 

Symptom. Weakness upon pressure, as of a saddle-horse yield- 
ing to the rider, when mounting the horse. 

Treatment. Warm-water cloths should be laid over the parts for 
a few days, followed in the same manner by cold-water cloths. 
Give rest and good feed, and use the horse in the shafts of a light 
four-wheeled carriage, or in double harness. Saddle work may be 
the means of its return, more especially if ridden by a heavy 
person. 

Loss of Appetite. — This is more of a symptom than a disease, 
and requires for its removal the cause which gave rise to it. In 
cold, influenza and fever, the appetite is bad, and with their re- 
moval it will be restored. Take powdered carbonate of ammonia, 
pimenta berries, gentian root, each two drachms, mix in some 
cold gruel, and drench the animal twice a day. This will not only 
remove, in a measure, the cause, but will restore the appetite also. 

Lumbago. — This is applied to a peculiar stiffness over the loins 
or back, partaking of the nature of rheumatism (which see). 

Lungs. — These are the organs of breathing, and are subject to 
many diseases, having names familiar to every horseman. Under 
this head, however, I will only notice inflammation of the sub- 



— 837 — 

stanee of the lunge, pneumonia (lung fever), and of the surface of 
the lung, pleurisy, abscess, adhesion, and congestion. (See Cough, 
Cold, Bronchitis, and Emphysema.) 

(1.) Pneumonia. — (Pronounced numonia.) — This is an inflamma* 
tion of the substance of the lungs, of late years called lung fever, 
and is sometimes very common in the spring after a severe winter. 

Symptoms. Chill followed by fever and increased for a short 
time, and is succeeded by cold legs and ears, quickened breathing, 
and wide, open nostrils. A peculiar quivering of the muscles of 
the side and breast will be observed in all cases of imflammation 
of the lungs, and will rarely deceive. The animal will eat nothing, 
and persistently stands with his nose and mouth in the manger; 
and if taken out of the stall and stable to the open air, he will almost 
refuse to go back again into the stable, relief being experienced 
from the fresh air. Hence, the necessity for plenty of fresh air in 
all diseases of the lungs. When the ear is applied to the side of 
the neck, a peculiar creaking noise is heard. Slight discharge of 
serous flakes or matter will be observed sticking to the sides of the 
nose. If this disease be not subdued or cured, it ends in abscess. 
The peculiar pulsations observed in this and other diseases, will 
be found treated of in the introductory remarks. To the non-pro- 
fessional person, the general aspect or appearance of the horse, 
when under this disease, is infinitely more important as a rule and 
guide in determining the seat and nature of the disease, than any 
assistance they can gain from the pulse. 

Cause. Alterations and sudden changes in heat, cold, and 
moisture ; an animal not in condition for work ; a hereditary pre- 
disposition in the lungs to take on disease. Changes which will 
produce lung disease in one horse will produce disease of a differ- 
ent character in another. 

Treatment. Place the horse in a light and airy place, and clothe 
him according to the weather. Bandages to the legs will, at all 
seasons, be necessary to keep them warm, and to that extent re- 
lieve the lungs of a portion of blood. Aconite, judiciously given, 
is the most powerful remedy I am acquainted with. Tartar 
emetic, so valuable in this disease in man, dogs and swine, has no 
more effect whatever upon either horses, sheep or cattle, than so 
much flour or meal. Give twenty five drops of the tincture of 

m 



i . — 3SS — 

aconite root, in a cupful of cold water, and drench the horse. 
Repeat the dose every four hours, till six doses are given. In the 
majority of cases, one or two doses will be all that is required to 
effect a cure. 

(2.) Pleurisy. — Inflammation of the membrane covering the 
lungs and lining the cavity of the chest. 

Symptoms. A rigor or chill, fever, disinclination to turn short, 
an occasional short painful cough, and careful breathing, accom- 
panied with a sigh or grunt. A peculiar line will be observed in 
pleurisy, running from the haunch, round the belly to the breast- 
bone. The breathing is deep, not so short and quick as in inflam- 
mation of the lungs. In the first twenty-four hours after the at- 
tack, pain will have given way, and the horse be apparently better. 
This, in the majority of cases of pleurisy, when left a few hours to 
itself and not checked, terminates in Hydrothorax (which see), or 
water or serum in the chest, sometimes causing adhesions. The 
favorable termination of pleurisy is by what is called resolution. 

Causes. Changes in the atmosphere. Exposure to cold. Bro- 
ken ribs or wounds. 

Treatment. Treat the horse as for inflammation of the lungs, 
by giving him pure air, cold water and aconite ; followed on the 
second day by five grains of powdered Spanish fly in gruel, once 
in the twenty-four hours. To remove the fluids from the body, 
give, after the active stage of the disease has passed, good feeding 
and generous diet. 

(3.) Abscess. — As elsewhere stated, abscess is the termination 
of the inflammation of the lungs. Pus is a common result of in- 
flammatory action, and when in the lungs is called vomicae, causing, 
in some cases, consumption. Where absorption of the pus has 
taken place, glanders is the result. 

The abscess frequently breaks into the bronchial tubes, and then 
pus escapes into the larynx and naves of the nose. Hence the per- 
sistent discharge which is so characteristic of glanders. 

Treatment. The same as for glanders ; generous diet, tonics, and 
stimulants, with the sulphite of soda and the Spanish fly. (See 
Glanders.) 

(4.) Effusion of Serum. — Hydrothorax is one of the w«ys in 
which pleurisy terminates, and when this effusion is extensive, 



~339 — 

not much hope of recovery may be expected. Cures, however, 
have been made by drawing off the fluid by means of a trocar 
pierced through between the ribs into the chest. 

(5.) Adhesions. — The surface of the lungs becomes attached to 
the sides of the chest by fibrous bands of great strength, another 
common result of pleurisy. Nothing can be done but to keep up 
the health and strength by good feeding, etc. 

When animals do not thrive and pick up their spirits and flesh 
after pleurisy, some of these various conditions may be reasonably 
expected to be present. 

(6.) Congestion of the Lungs. — The lungs are liable to become 
congested, when they are overcharged with blood. 

Symptoms. The horse blows, his nostrils are very much ex- 
panded, he is heaving at the flanks, and is the picture of distress 
and stupidity. 

Cause. Weakness and want of power in the blood vessels to 
contract and empty themselves. 

Treatment. Allow free access to cool air, clothe the body and 
bandage the legs to encourage the blood to the skin and legs, and 
give the following mixture : Sweet spirits of nitre, half an ounce ; 
powdered carbonate of ammonia, half an ounce ; mix in a bottle 
of cold gruel, in the form of a drink. If these articles are no* 
at hand, give two bottles of warm ale or half a bottle of brand** 
or whisky. 

(7.) Pneumothorax. — So called, because the air escapes intf 
the cavities of the pleura. 

Lymph. — This is a name applied to the clear fluid which cir* 
culates in the lymphatic vessels and that which is poured out in 
cut surfaces, after bleeding has stopped, and forms the medium by 
which the parts adhere, and are joined together. In this instance 
it is termed coagulable lymph, the principal element by which ad- 
hesive inflammation is carried on. 

Lymphangitis. — This is a disease which attacks large coarse- 
bred horses that are difficult to keep in good condition, and con- 
sists in the outpouring of plastic lymph into the femoral veins of 
one of the fore legs, which, as a consequence, swells to a very 
great size, and exhibits to the touch a feeling of a great many ir- 
regular prominences under the skim It is hot, painful, stiff, and 



-seo— 

accompanied with fever, which in a short time passe* off. In a 
few days the heat, pain and swelling will diminish a little, and the 
horse will move more freely, but will, in most cases, retain a 
" thick leg " for life. Fomentations of warm water should be ap- 
plied to relieve heat, tension and pain ; to be followed in a few 
days with broad bandages tightly rolled round the limb. Give 
Boft feed, such as cut mess, bran and green food. As soon as the 
animal can move the leg, he may be put to slow work. 

Madness. — A disease produced by the bite of a mad dog 
(See Hydrophobia.) 

Mad Staggers. — An affection of the brain. (See Staggers.) 

Maggots. — These are sometimes seen in neglected wounds and 
cores, in warm weather. To remove them apply equal parts of 
creosote and olive oil, or a solution of corrosive sublimate. 

Malignant. — A term applied to diseases of a fatal character, as 
glanders, for instance. Why the term malignant should not be 
applied to such diseases as locked-jaw and inflammation of the 
bowels, which are so often fatal, is one of the inexplicables of 
medical nosology or terminology, not easily for me to understand. 

Malignant Epidemic— English writers tell us that a malignant 
epidemic has attacked horses on the European continent. In* 
fiuenza is a disease from which scarcely one per cent, should die 
when scientifically and intelligently treated; but by bleeding, 
blistering, physicking, and low diet, a really simple and non-fatal 
disease is at once converted into a fatal and malignant epidemic. 

Mallenders. — A term used by old books and horse doctors, to 
designate a scaly condition of the skin back of the leg and opposite 
to the knee. A term which certainly, to say the least, should long 
ago have been blotted out of all the books, as vague, uncertain, 
unmeaning. 

This scaly eruption is the result of dryness of the skin of the 
back part of the leg, where the greatest and almost constant move- 
meat of the joint is going on. The same condition is seen on the 
face of some joints, and in others on the back, from the constant 
mobility of the parts. 

Who has not seen scruffy or scaly heels of horses ending with 
scratches? (See Skin Diseases.) 

Mange. — This is a disease of the skin, and is caused by a small 



— 361 — 

mite called acari, which breeds and burrows in the skia. To oer© 
mange, destroy the insect. (See Skin Diseases.) 

Materia Medica. — This is a name applied to every substance 
used in the treatment and cure of disease. 

Megrims. — A disease of the brain occurring at periods, es- 
pecially in hot weather, and when exposed to a powerful sun. 
This differs from epilepsy only in the absence of spasms. (See 
Epilepsy.) 

Causes. Tumors in the choroid plexus and enlargement of the 
pineal gland. 

Treatment. Merely palliative, by using a Dutch collar, so as not 
to interfere with the circulation of the blood from the head. 

Observe. In summer the horses subject to brain disease, or fits 
©f any kind, should not be used for family purposes. In winter 
they will make useful animals. 

Melanosis. — A variety of cancer peculiar to gray horses, which 
turns white with age, and is caused by the transfer of the coloring' 
pigment from the skin to the blood. (See Cancer.) 

Melanoid. — (See Cancer and Tumors.) 

Mesentery. — A membrane formed of two folds of the peri- 
toneum, between each of which there are numerous glands, lac- 
teals, lymphatics, arteries, veins and nerves. It is called the 
mesentery, because it adheres to three lumbar vertebras, and has 
the small intestines hanging to it. One portion of it is called the 
mescolon — supporter of the colon — and another the mesorectum, 
which encloses the rectum. 

Mesenterica. — Wasting of the mesentery is a disease which is 
not very common to horses, although some clearly marked cases 
are sometimes seen, characterized by wasting of the body, weak- 
ness, and general debility of the whole system. Bowels irregular, 
sometimes soft, at other times hard, of a pale or straw color, and 
frequently of bad smell. All that can be done is to keep the 
strength and condition of the horse up by iron and gentian, so 
frequently recommended throughout the book. 

Metastasis. — A term denoting a change or shifting of disease 
from one part of ihe body to another, as is well illustrated in cas<*» 
©f rheumatism. 

Moon Blindness.— -(See Eye Diseases.) 



Mortification. — Death of a part. (See Gangrene.) 

Moribund. — A term in use, and applied when men or animals 
are in a dying condition. 

Mouth, Diseases of the. — These are but few ; perhaps the ir- 
regularities of the teeth are the most important. So much is this 
the case, that from diseased or carious teeth, an affection arises, 
to many external appearances, similar to glanders; and horses 
have accordingly been destroyed, whereas, if a carious tooth, pro- 
ducing a stinking discharge from the nose, had been removed^ 
these appearances would have passed off. The edges of the teeth 
of horses, at all ages, are apt to become sharp, and cut or wound 
the inside of the mouth, and interfere with mastication or chew- 
ing. When horses are off their feed and losing flesh, it will be 
well to have the teeth examined. To remedy any irregularity of 
the grinders, a rasp, or file, with a concave surface and long handle, 
is used to make the teeth smooth and level. Wolf teeth are su- 
pernumerary, but do no injury to either the mouth or eyes. 

(1.) Scald Mouth. — Another simple affection of the mouth, 
which is characterized by the horse slobbering or frothing from 
the mouth, as if salivated. In aggravated cases fever is present. 

Treatment. Give ten drops of the tincture of aconite root in a 
little cold water three times in the day, for 48 hours, and allow 
the horse to have a bucket of cold water suspended or placed be- 
fore him, to cool his mouth in. 

(2.) Wounds of the Tongue. — Should be treated the same way, 
but without the aconite. If the tongue is nearly cut through, have 
the cut portion entirely removed. The horse can do wonderfully 
well without a large part of his tongue. 

(3.) Black Tongue. — This is not a disease, but the effect of a 
simple and non-fatal affection, frequently treated by bleeding, blis- 
tering and physicking — destroying vitality, and inducing mortifi- 
cation of the tongue, as well as of other portions of the body. 

(4.) Aphthous Thrush.— Soreness of the mouth, with white 

patches on the tongue, inside the cheeks and roof of the mouth. 

In man, this condition of the mouth is called stomatitis. 

Causes. Bad condition of the stomach and dyspepsia. 

Treatment. Borax in powder, one ounce ; molasses, three ounces ; 

mix, and apply with a soft brush, or soft piece of cloth. Give soft 



feed or cut grass. A few doses of sulphite of «oda, half an ounce 
to a dose, given for a few evenings, will be all that is wanted. (See 
Lampas.) 

The mouth is a favorite and convenient place for horsemen to 
try the keenness of their pocket knives, when the least pretext is 
offered. 

The palatine artery is sometimes cut lengthwise ; and when that 
is the case, the bleeding thus unnecessarily induced, will not stop 
when it is wanted. Many plans and contrivances are recom- 
mended, by individuals, to stop such bleeding ; but none are equal 
to a piece of iron or kitchen poker immersed, for a few minutes, 
in hot water, and applied to the wound for a moment, which will 
at ©nee stop further loss of blood. 

(5.) Parrot Mouth. — A malformation consisting in the upper 
front teeth, projecting over the lower ones. Young horses are 
little inconvenienced by it, but not so with old ones, when the 
teeth are long ; for then the lower teeth wound the soft palate of 
the upper jaw, especially when the horse is eating. Keep the 
teeth short by the use of the file. 

Mucous Membrane. — A thin lining of all the air passages; 
so-called, because the surface is kept moist, with a slimy matter, 
as referred to in the succeeding article. When this mucus is 
altered in quantity and quality, and when mucus-pus is poured 
out, disease is present. This is seen in cases of cold, bronchitis, 
and inflammation of the eyes (which see). 

Mucus. — A thick, viscid substance, thrown out from the mucous 
membrane, throughout the body. 

Myalgia. — A term given to inflammation of a set of muscles, 
and is applied, by some, to wasting of the muscles, as is sometimes 
eeen in sweenie. 

Narcotics. — Medicines which act upon the nervous system, 
diminishing its power and sensibility, and so relieving inflamma- 
tion, irritation, and pain. A medicine capable of doing this, also 
contains the properties of an anodyne, a sedative, soporific, car- 
minative, and nauseant. 

There are but few medicines possessing this power over the 
horse, and these are, aconite, prussic acid, veratrum, and, perhaps, 
lobelia. In my practice, nothing answers the purpose so well as 



-864- 

aconite. It is the great antiphlogistic. Indeed, so great is its 
power, that in bronchitis, inflammation of the lungs, feet and 
bowels, or where there is pain and fever, no remedy or remedies 
can compare with this invaluable medicine in the treatment of 
diseases of the horse. (See Medicines and Prescriptions.) 

Nasal Gleet. — A thin, transparent discharge from the nose, 
(See Gleet.) 

Navicular Disease. — This is a disease commonly called coffin- 
joint lameness, and by some it is termed grogginess. (See Foot 
Diseases.) 

Necrosis. — This is a term given to a dead bone when it is 
attached to a sound one. The difference between caries and 
necrosis is this : Caries is present when the bone is impaired only, 
and necrosis when the bone is entirely dead, and its functions 
have entirely ceased. When a bone has fallen into the condition 
of necrosis, its removal becomes as necessary as the removal of 
any other dead or foreign matter, in order that reparation and 
restoration of the function be effected, and a cure be made. 

Nephritis. — A technical term applied to inflammation of the 
kidneys (which see). 

Nervousness. — Few persons having the care of horses have 
failed to observe in them, occasionally, a peculiar excitability of 
disposition when any confusion and noise is going on, and when 
being harnessed for work. The tail becomes somewhat elevated. 
They move from one side of the stall to the other, and pass manure 
from them repeatedly every few minuses, until one would think 
there was nothing left in their bowels. These animals are usually 
light bellied and poor feeders, but fleet and free goers, very gay in 
the saddle or harness, and much admired by persons not versed 
in horse-flesh. They make excellent Sunday horses, but very 
poor every-day animals, as the constant excitement, when at work, 
overdoes their physical powers. This condition impairs the value 
of the horse very much. 

Treatment. Keep nervous horses in a place by themselves, where 
there is no noise or sound to disturb them, and have no harness 
or saddles in the place with them, nor clean harness or saddles 
where they are; fur whenever a piece of harness is seen in the 
hands of the groom, the animal expects it is to be put upon him 



-363- 

— hence he gets excited, and efforts are made to empty the bowel* 
of their contents. The harnessing or saddling should be the last 
thing done before going out with such a horse, as it gives him no 
time to empty the bowels and become excited. Ten grains of 
opium, and a drachm or two of prepared chalk may be given, 
either half an hour before going out, or after he comes in. Such 
horses are more pleasant to drive, if this be given. Stuffing cotton 
or wool in the ears also has a good effect. 

Neurotomy.— An operation for dividing the nerves of feeling, 
as they enter the foot on both sides of the leg. The operation is 
performed for the purpose of removing pain from the foot in navi- 
cular disease. It has, however, of late years fallen into disrepute 
on account of ignorant men operating indiscriminately on feet of 
all forms and shapes alike— in consequence of which no surprise 
should have been expressed, when in some cases the feet ulti- 
mately fell off. 

Neurotomy should never be performed upon flat and weak' 
footed horses, as they are easily bruised, and suppuration is set up, 
terminating in separation of the outer and inner foot structures. 
Weak and flat-footed horses, when sound, are careful how they 
put their feet upon hard roads and paved streets ; but when de- 
prived of all feeling by the operation of neurotomy, they let their 
feet come down on the ground with great force, so as to injur* 
them, resulting as before stated, in the hoof falling off. 

Nose, Diseases of the.— (See Cold, Catarrh, and Bronchitis.) 
Numbness.— Loss of feeling in any part, usually indicating 
disease of the brain, resulting in paralysis or palsy. 

Obesity.— This is a term applied to morbid or unhealthy fat- 
ness. When this condition is in the mesentery, it produces big 
belly ; in the liver, fatty liver ; in the heart, fatty degeneration of 
that organ. 

Causes. Little or no work, or exercise disproportionate between 
the amount of food taken and the waste. 

Treatment. Constant and regular work ; feed, in small bulk, oats 
instead of corn, and much hay. To animals inclining to take on 
too much fat and flesh, give a dose of physic (see Aloes, Med- 
icines and Prescriptions), occasionally, but do not bleed. 

CEdema.— A term signifying soft but not inflammatory swell- 



« 



-S66- 

ings of various parts of the body, as a sequel to debilitating 
diseases. These swellings contain serum thrown out from the 
blood. The treatment of this affection will be the removal of the 
exciting cause. (See Dropsy.) 

CEstromania. — This name is, by some, called cestening, which 
name is applied to mares and cows when desiring the male. 

Omentum. — A fold of the peritoneum, which hangs down from 
the stomach, and is reflected on itself upwards and backwards to 
the colon. It is in this where the great deposition of fat takes 
place. The omentum is often implicated in rupture. 

Open Joints. — (See Broken Knees.) 

Ophthalmia. — (See Eye Diseases.) 

Ossification. — The formation of bone ; but in the language of 
medical men, it means a deposition of earthy matter in the soft 
textures of the body where bone does not exist. Thus, for in- 
stance, we speak of ossification of the lateral cartilages of the foot, 
which' form ring-bone. We have ossification of the heart, arteries, 
and other parts of the body. 

Osteology. — A name used in speaking of the bony system. 

Osteoporosis. — This is a name given to big head. It is incur* 
able. 

Ostitis.— (See Splint.) 

Overreach. — This is the consequence of driving faster than tha 
horse should go. The injury is generally done by the edge of the 
inner rim of the shoe. Avoid the cause, and treat the wound with 
the simple ointment. (See Prescriptions and Medicines.) 

Ozena. — (See Gleet.) 

Palliatives. — Medicines given not to cure disease, but to re- 
lieve the pain. 

Paralysis or Palsy. — Loss of the power of moving in some 
parts cf the body. Paralysis may be confined to one leg or two 
legs ; then it is called partial. When the horse has lost the power 
of standing, and the four legs are affected, then it is complete. 
Usually, however, in the horse it is confined to the hind parts, or 
the haunches and legs. Sometimes the paralyzed part is numb, 
at others the sense of feeling remains. 

Causes. Disease in the brain and spinal cord. 

Treatment. If the patient is young, exercise patience and time. 



1 



and nature will do a great deal in a disease of this kind. The 
general health is to be kept up by good feeding and tonic medicine 
— such as fifteen drops of the tincture of nux vomica, four times 
in the twenty-four hours. Turn the horse from side to side twice 
in the day, and give plenty of dry, clean bedding to prevent the 
skin from scalding and peeling off — which is sometimes a source 
of great irritation to the poor horse. The paralyzed parts should 
be well rubbed with a stiff brush. Electricity has been regarded 
as an advantage in this disease, but from what I have seen, not 
much need be expected from it. The nux vomica offers, with good 
feeding and care, the best chance for recovery. It must be re- 
membered that this is a nervous affection, and probably these 
diseases are not so manageable, nor are they so easily cured, as 
other affections of a different type. 

Parotid Duct. — Distended. — This is a rare affection in horses. 
It resembles a round ball attached to the edge of the lower jaw ; 
an elastic encysted tumor, or rather like an encysted tumor. An 
incident, slightly illustrative of appearance, occurred some time 
since. I was called in to see a horse that proved to be so affected, 
and told the gentleman that so long as the ball did not break, it 
would do the horse no injury, and that I would not recommend 
its removal ; whereupon he said he would give five hundred dol- 
lars if the horse had another on the other side, that then he would 
look like an Angora goat. 

Open and Fistulous. — This is a serious affection, for with every 
movement of the jaw in chewing or masticating the feed, the 
glands pour out the saliva which should mix with the feed, and 
assist in the act of digestion, and it is lost upon the ground. The 
animal becomes thin of flesh, gets weak, and after a time dies a 
miserable object. 

Causes. Injuries, or accident to the gland or its duct, resulting 
in suppuration. From the mobility of the parts, fistula is estab- 
lished. 

Treatment Few horse doctors or farmers can cure this affection. 
An expert or accomplished surgeon'is only able to effect a cure, 
and this will be by closing the open or fistulous duct, so that the 
saliva will, with the feed, find its way into the stomach. 

India rubber dissolved in chloroform, applied over the mouth 



-388- 

of the wound, when it is thoroughly dry, will stop it for a few 
days. By continuing this application, a cure in a great many 
cases can be made. 

Pathology. — A department of medical science which treats of 
the causes and nature of disease, and of the appearances of dis- 
eased parts when living or dead. 

Patella, Dislocation of the. — This is a common occurrence 
in high spirited, nervous and weakly horses. 

Symptoms. The horse stops, if at work, and throws up his head, 
slightly bending the pastern of the dislocated leg, and holding the 
leg back behind the body, being unable to bring it under it. Fe- 
ver and irritation sometimes accompanies this accident, more es- 
pecially if it is of rare occurrence in the animal. The oftener 
the patella has been out, the less fever and irritation will be seen. 
There are horses with which it is of frequent occurrence, and hap- 
pily for them, there is just as little trouble in putting the leg in 
its place again ; a crack of the whip will do it sometimes. This 
is a serious object, in an otherwise fancy horse. There is but on* 
other affection of the hind leg which can be mistaken for it, and 
that is cramp (which see). 

Treatment. Remove the horse to a stable, attach a rope to the 
pastern of the leg which is dislocated, carry the end of the rope 
through a ring or over a beam at or about the horse's head, place 
the end of the rope in the hands of one or two strong men — tell- 
ing them not to pull till a man is placed at the head of the horse 
to keep him steady — have another man at the leg with one hand 
placed firmly on the point of the hock-joint, pulling towards him- 
self, and the other pushing firmly against the dislocated joint, 
then let the men on the rope pull firmly and gently, till the foot 
is brought fairly in under the horse's body ; after which the rope 
should be removed, and the horse kept quiet for a day or two. 

Pasterns.— (See Sprains.) 

Pelvis. — The anatomical name for the lower part of the abdo- 
men or belly. 

Pelvic Abscess. — This condition is sometimes seen in weakly 
constitutioned mares within a few days after foaling. 

Symptoms. In from one to four days one of the thighs of the 
hind legs will be swollen, hot and painful, causing the mare to 



uhiver or appear chilly, not from cold, but from the suppurativa, 
inflammatory action going on. The milk will have almost en- 
tirely ceased, and the colt will have to be fed by the bottle as a 
child, or out of a bucket like a calf, till the mare is cured and the 
milk returns. One curious condition about pelvic abscess is, that 
although it suppurates, the abscess does not break usually on the 
thigh, as it would be expected to do, but within an inch or two 
from the haunch bone. 

Treatment. The pus which has accumulated from so large an 
abscess, does not discharge itself from the place of opening, but 
burrows away down among the muscles of the hip and thigh, 
down to within a few inches of the hock itself. Hence, the great 
secretin the treatment of pelvic abscess is to make two free open- 
ings, one above, at the point of the soft abscess, and the other within 
from four to six inches of the hock on the outside of the thigh. 
T'/ien take a smooth elastic twig or a long piece of whalebone 
r icely smoothed with sandpaper, and introduce into the opening 
E-bove, and gently force it down to within an inch or so of the 
In>wer opening. This being done the pus will all discharge itself 
vrom the lower hole. Then inject with a small syringe, once a 
day, for a few days, about half a tablespoonful of the following 
mixture : Oil of turpentine and olive oil, equal parts. Keep the 
parts clean, feed the mare and colt well, and leave nature to com- 
plete the cure. 

Penis Hanging Out. — This is a serious defect, and is the re- 
sult of weakness and debility. The organ of generation is weak, 
the sheath swells, clasping the penis in its grasp until it also be- 
comes enlarged, and in most cases will not draw into its place 
again, so that it must either remain so or be cut off close to the 
prepuce or sheath. This affection and the opposite conditions, 
Phymosis and Paraphimosis, were very prevalent amongst the 
horses of the army, in the late war. 

Peristaltic. — A term applied to the serpentine motion of the 
bowels, one portion contracting and forcing its contents onward 
into the next. 

Peritonitis. — Inflammation of the peritoneum, or the serous 
membrane which lines the walls or inside of the belly, character* 

25 



-S70- 

ized by great pain, and is the result of accidents or injuries, and, 
at times, surgical operations. 

Treatment The same as for any disease of an exalted kind, 
using aconite root, cold water and pure air, and after the pain and 
fever have subsided, good feeding. 

Periosteum. — The thin pearly covering investing the bone. It 
is the stretch of this membrane in cases of splint which causes 
pain and lameness. (See Splint.) 

Phagadena. — A name used in surgery, implying a spreading 
and destructive ulcer, which spreads rapidly and destroys the sur- 
rounding parts. The true meaning of this word is eating, and in 
its effects is similar to what is called, in domestic practice, hospital 
gangrene — a local, spontaneous combustion, in which oil globules 
are poured out in great quantity in and around the sore or ulcer. 
These ulcers are common on the heels and legs of horses after a 
severe winter. When on the heels, the ulcers are taken by horse- 
men to be scratches. Phagadena does not usually assume the 
form or appearance of a cut or scratch, but is generally a flat, 
round or oval, and circumscribed sore at first; the hair of the part 
stands on end, with oil drops all over the surface, and in a few 
days the whole of the skin and hair falls off, or a separation of the 
edges of the sore will take place, and the skin and flesh of the 
part will completely fall out (called core), leaving an unhealthy- 
looking sore, with a white sanious fluid covering the whole of its 
surface. When the slough does not take place, it is gradually eaten 
away, and in this case leaves on the edges and surface of the sore 
a thin dirty colored looking skin or membrane. 

Causes. Bad habit of body, from impure blood, death of the 
part from exposure of the heels in some mixture of salt and snow. 
Cold drafts under stable doors. 

Treatment. The complete removal of all dead matter belonging 
to the ulcer, and a thorough cleansing of its inner surface. This 
is important, as it will not only be rendered necessary as a measure 
of cure but as a surety against its spreading further up the leg or 
heels. Then sprinkle the edges and inner surface twice in the day, 
for a day or two, with powdered blue stone to destroy the un- 
healthy surface and hasten a red surface, or the granulatory pr**- 
ftoss by which the hole will be speedily filled up again. Complete 



-S71- 

the cure by sprinkling powdered loaf sugar over the sore twice fn 
the twenty-four hours. Support the strength of the horse byjjood 
and generous diet. (See Scratches and Frost Bites.) 

Phlebitis. — A name given to inflammation of the vein after 
bleeding, characterized by swelling and cording of the vein. (See 
Jugular Vein.) 

Phlegmasia Dolens. — A name given to one leg when swelled 
to a great extent from plugging of the blood vessels of the leg 
with plastic matter poured into them from the blood. (See 
Grease.) 

Phrenitis. — One of the many diseases of the brain character 
ized by the horse becoming unmanageable — a variety of staggers, 
or it may be of inflammation of the brain itself, and is incurable. 

Physiology. — A branch of medical science treating of the life 
and functions of organized bodies. 

Physicking. — In England, and in some parts of the European 
continent, a person who does not know how to physic a horse, 
whether sick or well, is not considered fit to take care of horses, 
In the United States, the man who knows all about, and recom- 
mends physicking under almost any circumstances, should not be 
permitted even to take a horse by the head, much less to take care 
of horses not his own. In an extensive practice of many years, I. 
do not recollect a half dozen times, when I either gave or recom- 
mended a horse to be physicked ; and no man can show equal 
success in the treatment of diseases of horses and cattle, let his 
mode of practice be what it may. Remember, when the bowels 
are opened, and emptied of their contents, an important pillar has 
been taken from under the animal structure. Show me a 
European book on the diseases of animals, which does not recom- 
mend and minutely describe how to physic a horse, and I will 
show you a city without walls, without a church, or gymnasium. 
In this connection, I am sorry to say, that our American authors, 
on animal diseases, have copied too closely from European prac- 
tice, which is utterly unfit for this country, climate and the con- 
stitution of all our domestic animals. 

Pleurisy. — Inflammation of the serous membrane covering the 
lungs and lining the sides of the chest (See Lung Diseases.) 



— 372 — 

Pleuro-pneumonia. — Inflammation of the covering and sub* 
stance of the lungs and chest. 

Pleurodynia. — This is a rheumatic affection of the intercostal 
muscles, differing from pleurisy, from there being no constitutional 
disturbance, little fever and no inflammation. It is treated with 
a dose or two of the tincture of aconite root given internally, and 
mustard and a little vinegar rubbed into the muscles of the sides, 
behind the shoulder. 

Pleuro.- -Fullness of blood. (See Obesity.) 

Pneumonia. — Inflammation of the lungs (which see). 

Poisons. — These act differently in destroying life. They aro 
derived frcm the organic and inorganic kingdoms, and their effects 
are either local or remote. Poisons may be taken into the stomach, 
inhaled in the form of sulphuretted hydrogen, communicated 
through the skin, as from the bite of a poisonous animal, or ab- 
sorbed from wounds. (See Glanders.) Poisons act in one of 
three ways. 

(1.) Irritant Poisons ar-3 those poisons the symptoms of which 
are inflammation, irritation, and pain. Examples — arsenic, bi- 
chloride of mercury, lead, baryta, copper, and the Spanish fly. 

' Treatment. The plan to be adopted in this class of poisons in 
the horse is : Give him large quantities of the white of eggs, milk, 
linseed oil ; and remove the poison as speedily as possible by giv- 
ing large quantities of linseed oil — say two quarts. The horse 
cannot vomit ; hence, it is difficult to procure a prompt evacuation 
of the stomach. If the pain be great, give aconite to subdue it, 
and to keep down inflammation and sympathetic fever. 

(2.) Narcotic Poisons. — Poisons which act on the brain and 
nervous centres, producing stupidity or coma. 

Treatment. Give four grains of strychnia nux vomica in a few 
pints of gruel made with vinegar. Keep the horse walking 
around, and place chopped ice in a bag, and put it on the forehead. 

(3.) Narcotic Acrid Poisons. — Poisons acting as the above, and 
causing irritation, inflammation, fever, and pain. Examples of 
this class are, nux vomica and veratria. 

Treatment. Aconite will not only relieve the pain, but is an ex- 
cellent antidote for strychnia ; and for aconite, strychnia may bo 
given with advantage in cases of this variety of poisoning. 



-373- 

Poisoning from lead and copper is most frequent in the country, 
or in the vicinity of lead and copper-smelting works, or in pastures 
where manure from large towns and cities is spread, or on farms 
where the water is conveyed in leaden pipes or is kept in troughs 
and cisterns lined with lead. Pieces of lime and nails, or scraps of 
iron finding their way into leaden troughs, cause oxidation of the 
lead, forming sugar of lead — a bad poison. Not long since, heavy 
damages were awarded a farmer who had lost several head of cows 
from lead poisoning, occasioned by the spray of leaden bullets 
shot against a stone wall by a rifle, or military company — the 
fringes of lead spread upon the grass, being converted into the 
sugar, or oxide of that metal, and the cows gathering it with the 
pasture. 

Treatment. Give large doses of the white of eggs, and linseed 
oil, in either lead or copper poisoning, to shield the coats of the 
stomach and bowels, and to remove it from the body altogether. 
Happily for his owner, large quantities of poisonous materials are 
necessary to destroy the life of the horse. Materials which will 
destroy man, dog, and the pig will not, in many instances, have 
effect on the horse, sheep, and cattle. Antimony, an active and 
deadly poison, when given to omnivorous animals, has no more 
effect in a poisonous point of view than the same quantity of earth, 
when given to herbivorous animals. Hence, tartar emetic is now no 
longer used as a nauseant in the treatment of horses and cattle, 
when laboring under lung diseases, however useful it is in the same 
disease in man and the dog. 

Poll-evil. — This affection of the back part of the head is well 
known to horsemen, without much of a description being given. It 
consists in suppurative inflammation forming pus in the form of a 
simple abscess, or in the form of fistula (which see). 

Cause. Injury to the part, or disease of the bone. 

Treatment. As soon as the swelling has become a little soft, 
have it opened without delay, before the pus has time to burrow 
down among the bones of the neck, and cause disease in them. 
Make the opening large and deep enough so as to admit three 
fingers, that the abscess can be swabbed out with a piece of sponge 
or cloth tied on the end of a stick, to remove the pus. This will 



— S74- 

hare to be done twice in the day, till no more pui cam lie breught 
out. 

Occasionally syringe or squirt cold water into the sore, and swab 
it out again, till completely dry. Then apply the following, once 
in a day, with a swab: Creosote, one ounce; oil of olives, two 
ounces; oil of turpentine, one ounce. Mix. In applying the mix- 
ture do not use the swab too freely, as it may break down the 
granulations or the healing processes that are springing up to fill 
the hole or cavity, and thereby prevent a perfect cure. 

When poll-evil is the result of diseased bone, and partakes of a 
fistulous character, it will not be so easily healed or cured; for, the 
underlying bone being carious and becoming necrosed, before exfo- 
liation or separation of the dead bone takes place the horse may be 
dead — the process taking years to perfect itself. And when it is 
cured, there is usually a stiff neck remaining ever after. Ten drops 
of sulphuric acid poured in the fistulous opening of the swelling or 
sore will hasten recovery very much, and in many cases effect a good 
and speedy cure. Once a day will be often enough, and if there be 
more than one fistulous opening, drop the acid into one to-day and 
the other to-morrow, and continue from day to day, till each and 
every opening ceases to discharge a whitish-gray matter, and a dry- 
looking opening is presented. Afterwards, use a solution of the 
sulphate of zinc. One drachm of the zinc to four ounces of water 
will answer the purpose. Horses having sores of all kinds on their 
body should be well fed and cared for. 

Polypi. — These are diseased enlargements, which grow upon 
the mucous membranes of the nose and ear, and in the uterus or 
womb of mares. 

Treatment. If they are small, they are cured by touching them 
with a stick of caustic potassa; if large, cut them off with a sharp 
knife Or scissors, and apply a weak solution of bluestone to the sore 
till it is healed. 

Predisposing Causes. — Causes which render an animal sus- 
ceptible to disease. For example, a young horse standing in the 
stable from day to day becomes predisposed to disease of the throat 
and lungs, when put to any exertion. Old age is a predisposing 
cause of disease. Some animals, as well as men, are more 



— 373— v 

disposed to disease than others. From their temperament, and 
certain conditions of the solids and fluids of the body, the body 
is more susceptible to what is called a predisposing cause. 

Prick of the Foot. — (See Foot Diseases.) 
' Probang. — There are two of these instruments. One is for 
forcing obstructions down the gullet in cases of choking, and the 
other an instrument used in giving to horses, etc., medicine in a 
solid form or in the form of a ball or bolus. 

Procidenta. — A term used to denote the falling down of the 
womb, or foal bed in brood mares. This affection is very common 
in milch cows ; -not so in mares. 

Prognosis. — The foretelling the course and event of a disease, 
from its symptoms. Prognosis may be favorable or unfavorable. 
Nothing can so well distinguish the scientific veterinary surgeon 
from the blockhead in such matters as correct prognosis. 

Prophylactics. — Is a term applied to the means made, or 
adopted, for the preservation of health, and the prevention of dis- 
ease. 

Proud Flesh. — A common name applied to hasty granula- 
tions in a sore or wound, which presents a fungous appearance. 
To cure and prevent this, sprinkle a little white sugar, powdered 
blue stone, or a little red precipitate on the surface. 

Prurigo. — An itchiness of the skin, which is best treated by 
the sulphite of soda, in half ounce uoses, given every night in cut 
feed for a week. (See Skin Diseases.) 

Pulse. — This is the stroke or beat of an artery, consequent upon 
its alternate dilation and contraction caused by the action \)f the 
heart. The pulse is subject to many variations, even not depend- 
ing upon disease. It is also liable to changes from temporary ex- 
citement, as from severe heat, etc. Medicines act upon the circu- 
lation, and consequently change the beat and character of the 
pulse. If the disease be debility, diffusible stimulants will be re- 
quired to raise the pulse ; and in order to depress the circulation, 
as in inflammation and fever, nauseants are indicated, such as 
aconite and veratrum. (See Pulse, in Introductory Remarks.) 

Puncture.— Wounds inflicted with a sharp-pointed tool, as a 
staple or hay -fork, etc. Punctured wounds are dangerous, depend- 
ing upon their depth and locality, and shouljdjbe^ treated by free 



— S76 — 

openings from the bottom of the wound, to allow the exposed 
fluids to escape. The parts should be dressed with simple oint- 
ment. (See Medicines and Prescriptions.) 

Purgatives. — A class of medicines capable of cleansing or 
emptying the bowels. Purgatives are distinguished from laxa- 
tives, only in the quantity given. Six to eight drachms of aloe* 
will act as a purgative, and two or three drachms will act as a 
laxative. When laxatives are necessary, repeat at distant in- 
tervals. 

Purpura. — This is a disease which is but rarely seen, and con- 
gists in the surface of the whole body and legs being covered with 
pimples, or small boils, which discharge a livid or purple-colored 
fluid. The animal is very much debilitated ; and accompanied with 
sympathetic fever, we not unfrequently see swellings of the head 
and parts of the body, with the legs very thick, and the same 
colored fluid oozing out of them. Invariably the horse is scarcely 
able to move. The worst form of this- disease is the purpura 
haemoragica, or bleeding purpura. The small boils are the result 
of extravasation from the minute blood vessels under the skin. 

Cause. Venous congestion of the whole surface of the body, 
and possible a deterioration of the blood itself. 

Treatment. Support the strength, to keep off typhoid symp- 
toms ; enrich the blood, and attend to the surface sores. For this 
purpose, give the following powders, night and morning : Pow- 
dered sulphate of iron, three ounces; gentian root, two ounces 
and a half; carbonate of ammonia, four ounces. Mix, and divide 
into twelve powders, one to be given twice in the day. Give, oc- 
casionally, forty to sixty drops of commercial sulphuric acid in a 
bucket of cold water. Feed the horse well, and apply to the sores 
olive oil, three ounces, and creosote, one ounce, once every 
eecond day, and wash the sores twice a week. Horses once at- 
tacked by this disease are ever after liable to it. 

Pus. — This is the material found in abscesses. Pus may be 
healthy, or laudable, as it is called. Unhealthy, when it is mixed 
with blood and has a stinking smell. Healthy pus is of the 
thickness and color of cream, and is insoluble in water. 

Putrefaction. — Certain diseases are regarded as putrid, where 
ihe discharges have a black appearance and putrid smell. When 



— 877 — 

weakness and debility are present, putrid ulcers spread rapidly. 
The treatment of putrefaction, in a living animal, should be di- 
rected to laying open the sores, so as to get rid of the putrid dis- 
charge before it is absorbed into the circulation. Then wash imme- 
diately with the solution of the chloride of lime, after which 
dress the sores with equal parts of olive oil and creosote, and 
sprinkle them with powdered charcoal. Furnish the horse with 
good feed to support the strength, and give sulphate of iron and 
gentian root, two drachms each, night and morning. 

Putrid Fever. — (See Typhosus.) 

Pyemia. — This is a term signifying pus in the blood, acting 
and setting up fermentations. Examples : Tubercles in the lungs, 
glanders, farcy, and grease. (All of which see.) 

Quack Medicines. — These are medicines prepared according 
to private or secret receipts, and are puffed up in newspapers, and 
private circulars, as infallible cures for most all diseases which 
can be named, in either man or beast ; either for external applica- 
tion or internal administration. No subject in medicine has been 
more fully exposed than the great and absurd pretensions of these 
medicines. But, notwithstanding all this, the credulity of even 
the best class of society is great, the readiest victims being found 
among them. It surely requires no argument to show how dan- 
gerous must be the indiscriminate use of powerful drugs when 
compounded by parties who likely never had the slightest oppor- 
tunity to acquire a medical education, and why such persons can- 
not cure, by their remedies, diseases which are, or may be, deemed 
incurable, and have defied the most consummate skill and ex- 
perience of the veterinary medical world. 

Quinsy. — A name given to sore throat. (See Distemper and 
Influenza.) ( 

Quittor. — The term is used in England for a disease in the 
foot of a fistulous character. (See Foot Diseases.) 
'Rabies. — (See Hydrophobia.) 

Rachitis. — A disease of the bones of young animals, due to a 
deficiency of earthy matter (lime), which causes the bones to 
yield, being too soft. In colts of the first year, some will be 
observed to stand so close at the knees, that one joint touches the 
other, which gives the fore legs a curious looking twist, with Uitj 



— 378 — 

feet arned out and the knees bent in. Colts so affected soon get 
well when they are supplied with good, nutritious food, in which 
the phosphate of lime predominates. Rachitis (pronounced 
rackv'tis), in old horses, is seldom seen ; and when it is, it is in 
the bones of the back or lumbar vertebrae, is characterized by 
swellings of ah irregular kind, with water oozing from them, and 
is cUled hydro-rachitis or spina-bifida. Horses so affected are not 
fit fur work with weight upon the back. (See Deformities.) 

Resolution. — This is the most favorable termination of 
inflammation, and leaves the inflamed part in the same state or 
condition in which it was before it was attacked. 

Respiration. — The alternate inspiration and expiration of air., 
performed for the purpose of exchanging the hydrogen and carbon 
for oxygen. The air being brought in contact with the blood, as 
it circulates through the lungs, the oxygen unites with it, and the 
nitrogen and carbonic acid gas is returned by expiration. The 
oxygen and some of the inhaled air is united in the lungs with 
free hydrogen, which is given out from the lungs, and is readily 
seen issuing from the nostrils on a frosty morning, or when the 
thermometer is about 40°. 

Revulsion. — A second attack of disease, but in a remote or 
different part of the body from which the first attack had its seat. 
Example : If an eruption, or the abscess of strangles be repelled 
from the outside of the body, we will find it attacking an internal 
organ. (See Metastasis.) 

Rheumatism. — In no disease of the horse are there so many 
errors and mistakes committed ; not only as to the nature of the 
affection, but its mode of treatment. Horsemen and horse 
doctors have not yet learned that there is a difference between 
rheumatism and founder, whether acute or chronic, and how to 
distinguish one from the other. The difference between acute or 
inflammatory rheumatism and acute founder is this: In rheuma- 
tism there is not only pain, but great fever and excitement, and 
its seat is in the joints of the legs ; in founder we have pain, but 
no fever, and the disease is confined to the feet alone. (See 
Laminitis.) « 

In chronic rheumatism there may be some excuse for such 



— 870 — 

mistake?, as there is no fever ; but there is an inability to move, 
as if the horse was sprained over the loins. (See Lumbago.) 

(1) Acute Rheumatism. — Nothing less but what is called (when 
man is the subject) rheumatic fever. 

Symptoms. Great fever, excitement, and irritation, with extreme 
pain in the legs and joints ; so much so that the stricken horse 
has not a leg fit to stand upon, and dares not move from the place 
he occupies, from fear of falling to the ground. In connection 
with all this disturbance, the horse sweats profusely, and blows or 
breathes excitedly, having no heat in the feet, as in founder. It 
will be well to remember this, in forming a correct opinion of the 
case. In severe cases the whole of the muscles of the body are 
set to quivering, clearly indicating inflammatory rheumatism in 
full force and degree. 

Opuses. Sudden check to perspiration, by placing heated horses 
in a current or draught of cold air, thus preventing the transuda- 
tion through the skin of its formed and natural secretion, which 
being absorbed by the blood, and acting as a poison, produces 
inflammation in the sheaths of the tendons, and of the fibrous 
parts or tissue. 

Treatment. The treatment of acute rheumatism is sometimes 
unsatisfactory ; not that it is incurable, but from the fact that the 
medicines which frequently cure one will not cure other cases. 

Give twenty-five drops of the tincture of aconite root every four 
hours, till six doses are given. Place the horse in a cool, airy 
place, with plenty of bedding under him, so' as to induce him to 
lie down ; then lightly cover the body, and apply cold water 
swabs or loose cloths to the legs, keeping them continually wet, 
from twelve to twenty-four hours. In winter, warm water will 
answer best. By the time the six doses of aconite have been 
taken, a great change for the better will have taken place ; so much 
so, that, in many cases, the horse may be left to nature to complete 
the cure. But, on the other hand, should the disease take a chronic 
form, give drachm doses of the powdered meadow saffron seeds 
twice in the day, and occasional doses of sixty drops of sulphuric 
acid in half a bucket of cold water. Half ounce doses of the 
sulphite of soda may be given as an alkali. Do not bleed or 
purge. 



— 380 — 

(2.) Chronic Rheumatism. — I have no hesitation in saying that 
chronic rheumatism in a joint is one of the most prolific causes 
of occult or hidden lameness in horses ; while this is so, when 
there are no swellings to point to as a proof of the correctness of 
your opinion, many will question your judgment. But it is with 
this, as with many things in the world — time only being required 
for a thorough development of the fact. 

Treatment of Chronic Rheumatism. Give a few doses of aconite 
root, followed by the colchicum or saffron seeds, the sulphuric 
acid and the alkaline, as is recommended in acute rheumatism, 
but not pushing them to such an active extent. A liniment may 
be applied to the rheumatic joint or joints composed of chloroform 
and olive oil, equal parts, to be used once a day, with friction by 
the hand. One part of the tincture of aconite root, may, in ad' 
dition, be used to advantage with the chloroform. 

(3.) Rheumatism. — Accompanying Diseases of the Throat. This 
combination is often met with, which is due to the fact that the 
same serous or fibrous tissue or membrane is affected in each of 
the diseases. Nevertheless, we do not see cases of throat disease 
following rheumatism ; from which we derive the fact that those 
membranes are not capable of reflecting upwards and backwards 
their sympathy or feeling as the nerves of the body are. So, 
therefore, I am inclined to the belief that rheumatism in this 
form, is the effect of disease in the throat, and not a cause of the 
disease. 

Treatment. Cure the disease in the throat, and the rheumatism 
will be deprived of its cause and support. (See Influenza and 
Gastritis Mucosa.) 

Ring-bone. — This is a serious affection, and consists of a circle 
of bone thrown out from the underlying bone. Sometimes, in 
addition to this, the cartilages of the foot are converted into bone, 
and laid in the form of a circle ; and hence its name, ring-bone. 
It is most common in the fore legs of heavy, coarse-bred horses, 
with short and straight up pastern-joints. When it occurs in fine- 
bred horses, it is usually the hind leg which is affected. Ring- 
bone does not always cause lameness. « 

Cause. Hereditary predisposition, from a peculiar formation of 
pastern-jointSj which are found not well adapted to hard work \ 



- 381 — 

and hence, an effort of nature is set up to strengthen parts which 
are too weak, by converting an elastic substance into a hard and 
unyielding mass, and a moving hinge into a fixture. 

Treatment. If it is of recent origin, and the horse is young, 
much may be done in the way of a cure, by first removing all 
heat and inflammation with ^old water cloths wrapped round the 
parts for three days, taking them off at night. At the end of that 
time, get one drachm of the bin-iodide of mercury, mix with one 
ounce of lard, and apply one-half of the salve by rubbing it in 
well for ten minutes. Tie up the horse's head for a few hours, 
and the next day wash off with soap and warm water, daily 
anointing the parts with lard or oil for a week ; then apply the 
remainder of the salve in the same way, and proceed as before. 
In old horses, not much can be done with ringbone, as the bones 
of old animals contain so much earthy (lime) matter that nothing 
can act upon it. 

Ringworm. — (See Skin Diseases.) 

Roaring. — A noise made by some horses when put to work 
There are many different sounds produced from the same cause, 
and they are incurable, except when depending upon the presence 
of tumors, which can be removed. Roaring can be relieved 
somewhat by placing pads over the faulty nostril. When very 
bad, an operation called tracheotomy — an opening into the wind- 
pipe, and keeping a silver tube inserted in it — is sometimes re- 
sorted to. By this means a draught horse can be kept at work 
for many years. , 

Round Bone. — (See Hip-joint.) 

Rowels. — An old-fashioned operation, consisting in an opening 
made through the skin for a few inches in length, the skin being 
raised from its attachments, and a piece of leather fitting the 
cavity placed into it, so that a discharge is set up in a day or two. 
Times were when this unnecessary cruelty was frequently inflicted 
upon the poor unoffending horse, but in this humane and progres- 
sive age, we only occasionally meet with the barbarity. Rowcb 
are an abomination, and inflict a scar or blemish, which never 
leaves the part. The stupidity and ignorance of horse doctors 
generally, do not allow them to see that the powers of nature are 
more potent for good in curing the affection than a rowel — to 



-3S2- 

which is attributed a power or virtue it "never possesses. If 1 
should put in a rowel, it would not be with the view of curing dis- 
ease or sprain, but simply to secure the horse plenty of time in 
the stable, so that nature could cure the disease herself. 

Ruptures. — The protrusion of some portion of the bowels or 
intestines out of their proper place. The groin, the navel, sides 
of the belly, and scrotum, or testicle bag, are the places were rup- 
tures usually show themselves, and it is the variety of situation 
that gives rise to the many species of rupture or hernia. 

(1.) Inguinal Eupture. — In the United States, the horses are 
mostly all castrated, which fact accounts for the rare occurrence of 
this variety of rupture. The operation of castration completely 
closes the inguinal ring or opening through which pass the sper- 
matic cord, testes, etc., thus preventing the possibility of rupture 
in that direction. When this kind of rupture takes place it is in 
stallions and uncastrated colts, and requires for its cure the cas- 
tration of the horse or colt by what is called the covered operation, 
that is, by leaving the tunica vaginalis, or inner covering of the tes- 
tes entire and uncut, and placing the clamps over it, allowing the 
testes or stones to fall off, or be removed in two days from the 
time of operation. As soon as this kind of rupture is observed, 
have the horse or colt castrated at once. 

(2.) Scrotal Rupture. — This variety of rupture, entirely con 
fined to the testicle bag, or scrotal sac, is also the affection of un- 
cut horses, and is caused by relaxation of the fibrous tissue around 
the inguinal ring. This is a kind of rupture which comes and goes, 
as if it were an intermittent affection. The rupture, or large swell- 
ing, during rest will entirely disappear, and return during exer- 
cise, sometimes with violence, throwing the horse, perhaps, into a 
fit of colic, and inducing strangulation and death of the horse. 
Scrotal rupture is sometimes confined to one side only of the scro- 
tum. If in time the animal should not die from strangulation of 
the bowel, the rupture will sometimes increase to an enormous 
size, hanging far down, and filling up the space in and between 
the hind legs. 

Treatment. The same as for inguinal hernia. Of course, in both,, 
eases, care should first be taken to push back the bowels through 
the ring into the belly, before removing the testicles. Scrotal 



rupture should not be confounded with hydrocele, or water in the 
scrotal sac. (See Dropsy.) 

(3.) Congenital Rupture. — This is a species of rupture ob- 
served at the birth of the foal or eolt, and is the least dangerous of 
all the varieties of ruptures, although the rupture continues to 
grow and increase in size until the fourth to the six month of the 
colt's age, and then gradually and progressively disappears alto- 
gether, If, however, it should not at the end of that time diminish 
in size and volume, a tolerably stout and tight collar or bandage 
may be placed around the body, covering the rupture. This band 
should be kept in place by a broad collar or cloth attached to each 
side of the body bandage, and passing in front of the breast, with 
another around the back parts of the hips — thus preventing a 
backward or forward movement of the body bandage. 

If rupture should occur in a few days after the birth of the colt, 
it should, to all intents and purposes, be classed as congenital 
rupture, and be treated accordingly. 

Congenital rupture is the same as what is called by some writers 
umbilical rupture, which is correct as far as it goes ; but congenital 
rupture includes not only the navel, but the scrotal also. The 
navel variety can be most successfully treated by letting it alone ; 
or, in some cases, by the application of a bandage. When, how- 
ever, in the scrotum, castration is the only cure, and a bandage in 
this case would not only be useless, but hurtful to the colt. 

(4.) Ventral Rupture. — This is, when the bowel produces 
through any part of the belly, excepting at the unbilicus or navel, 
or any natural opening, and is generally the result of injury or 
accident, as from a hook from the horn of a cow, or the kick of a 
horse. The common place where this kind of rupture is usually 
seen, is on the lower portion of the belly, between the ribs and at 
the flanks. 

Symptoms. A large, puffy swelling which can be lessened in size 
and forced into the cavity of the belly again, by merely pressing 
against it. The skin will be loose when the bowel is thus pushed 
in ; and when the pressure has ceased, the enlargement or swelling 
returns at once, and fills up the loose skin. 

Treatment. In most cases, let the enlargement alone ; as, in 
nearly all instances, no inconvenience from it will be experienced 



-S84- 

by the horse. The only way to reduce such a rupture is, by gath- 
ering and holding the loose skin, and covering the rupture after 
the bowel has been pushed into its place by means of long clamps» 
like a long vise, till the skin falls off. This cure is worse than the 
affection it is intended to remedy ; for by breaking the skin the 
bowels are exposed to the air and the uncertainty of the edges of 
the skin uniting firmly together. This is frequently, also, more 
than can be expected, as the horse is not a rational being, and 
cannot be told to stand this or that way, in this or that position. 
If he experiences any pain, he will become restless, and lie down, 
and roll ; and then what of the nicely adjusted clamps ? In short, 
the horse will die in a few hours. 

(5.) Rupture. — Of Castration. This variety of rupture some- 
times follows immediately, or a few days, after the operation of 
castration. 

Causes. When the rupture occurs as soon as the liorse rises 
from the operation, it is produced by the violence of the strug- 
gling, or rising with too much of a jerk. When occurring a few 
days after the operation, the cause may be laid to the wound not 
healing and uniting properly. 

Symptoms. As in colic ; the horse rising, lying down, pawing, 
rolling, sweating ; high fever and inflammation ; and finally, gan- 
grene, or mortification of the parts, and death of the horse. 

General Remarks. The termination of ruptures of all kinds and 
varieties most to be dreaded, is that condition known as strangu- 
lation, which occurrence is indicated by the pawing, rolling, 
sweating, and restive condition of the horse, etc. If not relieved 
in a very short time, he will die. To reduce strangulation, he 
must be secured, and fastened ; and all conceivable ingenuity must 
be exercised to get the bowels back into their proper place. No 
rule can be laid down to accomplish this, as some ruptures are re- 
ducible, and others are not. But the hands of the operator must 
be well oiled when handling the bowels, and the bowels kept 
scrupulously clean ; and when they have been successfully placed 
into their proper cavity, the horse will be at rest, and relieved from 
pain. To prevent the bowels from returning again, the rupture 
must be closed by skewers made of iron, or stiff wood, passed 
through tiie lips of each side of the wound, half an inch from th» 



■f" W W — ' 



cdgt, with waxed cord vound round and over &e skewers, lii &€ 

form of the figure 8. 

Metallic or silver wire is used by scientific veterinary surgeons 
in securing the edges of the skin of ruptures and injuries to the 
belly of all domestic animals, as the best and most successful 

plan. ___ __ aj-r _ 

Ruptures of the stomach, bowels and diaphragm, are occasioa- 
ally the immediate cause of death in cases of colic. (See Hocfc s 
etc.) 

Saddle Galls. — Sores produced by the saddle and other por* 
tions of the harness, and are best treated by the compound tinc- 
ture of aloes. When the sores become hard and firm, like warts, 
use the ointment of iodide of mercury. (See Medicines and Pre- 
scriptions.) Remove the cause of the trouble by attending to the 
saddle and harness, and if no fault be found with the stuffing of 
the saddle, cut a hole in the padding sufficiently large to accom% 
modate the sore without touching it. 

Sallenders. — (See Mallenders.) 

Saliva. — A fluid secreted by the salivary glands, which serves 
to moisten the mouth, and is swallowed with the food. When 
horses are feeding, the saliva mixes with the feed, and resolves, 
dissolves, and changes into a soft mass fit to be swallowed. (See 
Parotid Duct.) 

Salivation. — This is an increased flow of saliva induced in the 
horse by mercury and other medicines, and is often seen in horses 
feeding upon the second crop of clover late in the fall of the 3 T ear, 
or after slight frosts; which fact sufficiently accounts not only for 
the salvation of, but also affords the reason why horses so feeding 
lose flesh and become thin and weak, although apparently feeding 
upon abundance. 

Second crop clover grows fast, is soft, and full of moisture, while 
the cool nights arrest its mushroom growth, and the moisture it 
contains in great quantity is converted from a sweet and nutritious 
substance into a sour and acidulous fluid, not unlike vinegar or 
acetic acid. The acid so formed within the clover leaf and stem 
is pressed out by the act of mastication or chewing, stimulating 
the fauces of the mouth and the salivary glands to a great extent, 
and taxing the substance of the body for the saliva to meet an 

26 



— S86 — 

enormous demand. Hence, the weakness and loss of flesh oi 
horses so fed. 

Sand Cracks. — (See Foot Diseases.) 

Sanicus Pus. — Pus mixed with water and blood ; unhealthy 
pus. 

Scalds. — (See Burns.) 

Scald Moutji. — (See Mouth Diseases.) 

Scarlatina. — A disease newly discovered in light-colored horses, 
attended by sore throat, as in man, and with slight fever and dry 
skin — the glands of the neck are slightly swollen, and in about 
two days the lining membranes within the nose and lips become 
studded with scarlet spots about the size of a garden pea, which 
run together. In light bay horses will be seen patches from which 
the hair falls off and is replaced by a coat of a lighter color, thus 
making the animal look as if he had had an attack of varioloid or 
small-pox. Scarlatina is an eruptive feyer, running a fixed and 
definite course, and is closely allied to purpura, influenza and 
strangles (all of which see). 

Treatment. Place the horse in a cool place, and give small doses 
of aconite, followed by gentian and carbonate of ammonia. In a 
few days iron may be added. (See Medicines.) 

Scratches (See Grease, Phagadena, and Frost Bites.) 

Schirrus. — Pronounced skirrus, and signifying induration or 
hardening of any structure, but now used only when speaking 
of cancer. 

Scouring. — (See Diarrhoea.) 

Scrotum. — The bag or skin covering the testicles of the stallion, 
which is the seat of large watery swellings, as a sequel to debili- 
tating disease, or disease treated by starving, bleeding, etc. If the 
swelling does not grow less after extra feed is allowed, and a few 
iron powders are given, the scrotum will have to be opened a little 
on both sides to allow the fluid to flow out. Do not mistake the 
swelling for scrotal rupture. (See Ruptures.) 

Scurf. — A scaly eruption on the skin of badly-groomed and 
cared for horses. It is cured by good grooming, good feeding, and, 
in some cases, a change in stabling. 

Secretion. — The product secreted or separated from the blood. 
Secreted products are of two kinds : 



-887 — 

(1.) Excretion, or matter separated by animal bodies, and thrown 
off on account of their noxious or effete qualities. Examples — 
the urine, the dung, sweat, and carbonic acid gas from the lungs. 
(2.) Secretion is matter separated from the blood for further use, 
and for the performance of various actions in the living system. 
Example — bile, saliva, etc. 

Sedatives. — Medicines which lessen pain, and should, there- 
fore, be called calmatives. Aconite is the most certain and 
successful sedative and calmative we have to offer, and will seldom 
disappoint the highest expectations, if used properly and in good 
time. 

Serum. — The thin, colorless fluid, which separates from the 
blood. 

Serous Abscess. — A variety of abscess seen usually about 
the breasts of horses. It arises from injury followed by the pour- 
ing of a serum from the blood into the injured part, which, not 
being absorbed readily, remains there in the form of a large ovoid 
flattened bag. A blind man, who never saw a tumor, could tell 
that it contained fluid. Indeed, wherever dropsical swellings are 
not absorbed, a serous abscess will be formed. 

Treatment. Open it with a knife, making a large opening through 
the skin, only at the lowest soft part, so the serum will run out 
without pressing. Inject once or twice with cold water, and 
anoint the skin with lard to prevent it from cracking or becoming 
dry. 

Seton. — A piece of tape placed under the skin by means of a 
needle made for the purpose. Setons are rarely of use, and are 
often torn violently out, making an ugly sore. 

Shivers. — So called because the horse is seized with tremor of 
the muscles of the whole body, when any attempt is made to push 
him back. The tail is erect as in cases of lock-jaw. 

Causes. Tumors on the ventricles of the brain. 

Shoeing of Sound Feet. — Most diseases of the feet, and every 
stumble are, either directly or indirectly, the result of bad shoe- 
ing. Horse-shoers have long been in the habit of using the knife 
and rasp too freely to keep feet sound very long so. When the 
shoe is carefully removed, the wall or crust, where a well seated 
thoe should only rest, should be gently rasped to remove frag- 



-388- 

ments of loose horn and old nails. In deep, well-made feet, the 
sole requires paring out till it is in the form of a cup, but not too 
thin — the bearing surface, or wall, to be made level for the new 
shoe. This is all that is required in a sound foot. The frog must 
be left to fill its functions. Above all, do not let the rasp be used 
upon the surface of the foot, for it is the skin of the hoof, and by 
its removal you expose it to every chance in moisture and dry- 
ness, and leave it weak, dry, porous and brittle. 

The shoe should be a plain one, equally broad and wide from 
heel to toe, and put on without seating ; for why bring a concave 
foot in contact with a concave shoe ? The toe should be slightly 
turned up, and not too short at the heels. The hind shoes should 
be provided with heels. 

The nail holes should be three on the outside, and two on the 
inside, and made straight through the iron, and not incline in- 
wards, and the shoe fitted to the foot, and not the foot to the 
shoe. 

Dray horses should be shod with tips, or toes and heels, which 
secure firmness of tread, and greater power when drawing heavy 
loads, especially in cities with smooth paved streets. 

Shoeing Unsound Feet. — Feet with corns, weak, flat feet, con- 
vexed sole, and sand or quarter cracked feet, should have shoes 
well seated : and it is advisable to throw some extra weight upon 
the frog, for which purpose a bar-shoe should be used. (See Foot 
Diseases.) Leather soles are useful in weak-soled feet when the 
horse steps high and is much used upon city streets. One-sided 
nailing answers well for weak heels. Ring-boned animals should 
be shod with easy fitting shoes, to avoid jarring. Horses having 
a tendency to navicular or coffin-joint disease should have shoeg 
turned up a little at the toe, with the ground surface of the wall 
well cut away, and the sole and frog untouched. The art of shoe- 
ing horses consists in fitting a shoe to the foot of a horse, for the 
purpose of protecting, and, at the same time, not injuring it. 

Shoulder Lameness. — This is produced by a slip, or side-fall, 
and is frequent with horses in cities having broad rails laid on 
the streets for railroad purposes. In wet weather these rails are 
very slippery ; hence the horse has no foothold, the leg is stretched 
far out before the animal and the muscles of the shoulders, and 



— 389- 

in gome cases the shoulder-joint is involved. A much more 
serious affair than simple shoulder sprain is the result. 

Shoulder lameness is common to young horses when ploughing 
in the furrow. 

Symptoms. The absence of heat; tenderness, and swelling in 
any other part of the leg or foot. Always find out with certainty 
where there is no lameness and the situation of lameness will 
very soon be apparent. Negative and positive symptoms should 
always be well considered before coming to a final conclusion, as 
by doing so the situation or trouble is so narrowed down that a 
mistake can scarcely occur. Shoulder lameness, however, is known 
by the horse stepping longer with the lame leg, and shorter with 
the sound one ; and, excepting in very severe cases, the horse will 
not only point the leg out from the body, but carry it also to the 
side of the body. Now, in most sprains and diseases in the foot, 
the leg will be pointed straight out without any side position. 

Take the leg which is lame by the pastern, and gently carry, or 
pull it straight out from the body of the horse in front, and gently 
also to the outside ; if it should be shoulder lameness, the horse 
will not only show evidences of pain, but will in many cases, de- 
pending upon the spirit and animation of the horse, get up from 
the ground with the sound leg and endeavor to wrest the lame 
leg from you. 

In very severe cases, when occurring from a bruise, the horse 
will stand on his toe, which is evidence of contusion of the 
shoulder. 

I Treatment. Absolute and entire rest, warm water cloths ap- 
plied for two days, followed by cold water cloths, in the same 
way, and for as many days. Then a slight blister of the Spanish 
fly may be rubbed into the skin of the shoulder, taking care that 
none of it is put on at the situation of the collar, as it would ren- 
der the part a little tender for a while by friction om the collar. 
Take Spanish fly in powder, one drachm ; hog's lard, six drachms; 
mix, and make an ointment, or salve, and rub the better half of 
it into the skin. Next day wash off with warm water (not hot), 
and when dry from washing, anoint the blistered parts with oil or 
lard, daily, for a week. It is not advisable to put horses to work 
or even exercise, too soon after getting well from lameness. 



— 3QO — 

Shoulder-joint Lameness. — This is a more serious form af 
lameness than sprain of the muscles of the shoulder. It consists 
in the softening of the articular cartilages of the joint membranes, 
and great secretion of unhealthy synovia (joint oil), producing 
bulging of the ligaments (capsular), and covering the joint. It 
can be detected by making the horse stand upon the lame limb, 
and by holding up the other one. This is a disease similar to 
spavin in the hock-joint, which accounts for the unsatisfactory re- 
sults of treatment. 

Symptoms. The horse drags his toe, and throws his leg out at 
every movement of the limb. 

Treatment. As before stated, this is rather unsatisfactory, from 
the fact that the cartilages are likely to be destroyed, and the 
bone underneath apt to become ulcerated ; but if taken in time, 
much good can be done. In many cases, a cure can be effected 
by the ointment of red iodide of mercury, well rubbed in once a 
Week, for a few times. 

Take of bin iodide of mercury, two drachms ; hog's lard, two 
ounces. Mix well on the bottom of a dinner plate, or a smooth, 
slate, with a table knife. Of this ointment, take one- fourth and 
rub well into the joint, tying up the horse's head for a few hours, 
to prevent his getting at the shoulder with his mouth; allow soft 
bedding for the front feet to stand upon, as the horse will stamp 
with his foot on the floor — for the action of this ointment is con- 
sidered to be as painful as the hot iron, for half an hour from the 
time it begins to act till the parts commence to swell from its 
splendid effects. Hence, firing irons are now not much used, except 
in the hands of old fogies. Daily, oil or grease the parts for a 
week, then apply as before, and remember that to get all the 
benefit of this ointment, it must be well rubbed in the parts. 

Side Bones. — A species of ring-bone ; only the side cartilages 
of the foot are converted into bone, and do not, as in ring-bone, 
extend round the coronet, or portion immediately above the hoof. 
The cause and treatment are the same as in ring-bone (which see). 

Sinus. — A long, narrow and ulcerated track, communicating 
either with the inside of an abscess or diseased bone. (See Fis- 
tula and Poll-Evil.) 

Sitfasts,— These are hard and insensible tumors, sometimes 



— 391 — 

Galled warbles, and are caused by undue pressure from the har- 
ness. 

Treatment. Rub in, about the size of a bean, of the ointment of 
red iodide of mercury. (See Prescriptions and Medicines.) 

Skeleton of the Horse, Bones of the. — The skeleton is 
composed of two hundred and forty-seven separate bones, which 
are united by joints to form the spine, thorax, pelvis, tail, fore and 
hind extremities. The spine is finished anteriorly by the head, 
which is divided into the cranium and face, and contains the 
teeth. Suspended from the head is the os hyoides, which com- 
pletes the number of bones. Thus : — 

The spine consists of 7 cervical, 18 dorsal, and 6 lumbar ver- 
tebras— Total 31 

The thorax is made up of the dorsal vertebra?, with 18 ribs 

on each side, and the sternum in the middle — Total - - 37 
The pelvis comprises 2 ossa innominata (or illium, ischium, 

and pubes), and 1 secrum — Total 3 

The tail contains on the average 17 bones - - - - 17 
The fore extremity is made up on each side of the scapula, 
humerus, os brachii, and 8 carpal bones, 3 metacarpal, os 
suffraginis, os coronse, os pedis, os naviculare, 2 ossa sesa- 

moidea — Total on both sides 40 

The hind extremity has the femur, patella, tibia, fibula, 6 
tarsal bones, 3 metatarsals, os suflfraginis, os corona?, os 
pedis, os naviculare, 2 ossa sesamoidea — Total - - - 38 
Bones of the cranium --------10 

Bones of the face and lower jaw IS 

Teeth 40 

Bones of the internal ear, 4 in each organ - - - - 8 
Os hyoides, or bone of the tongue, made up of five sections 5 



Grand total - - - 247 

Skin Diseases. — There are many, and apparently different 
varieties of skin diseases described by writers, many of which are 
the same, and produced by the same cause, but present different 
appearances in different animals, and in different stages and coa* 



"—Se- 
ditions of the affection. Where the same cause can be properly 
assigned in producing different diseases, although apparently dis- 
similar, the treatment must be the same. Thus, if the atari is the 
cause of more than one kind of skin disease, of course the treat- 
ment must be directed to the destruction or removal of this insect 
or mite, before a cure can be effected ; so, also, with faulty assimi- 
lation or digestion, which so often gives rise to skin disease, and 
which must be improved and corrected before the effect (disease), 
will cease and be cured. 

(1.) Baldness. — Parts of the skin of the horse become denuded 
of 1 the hair, occasioned by minute or small pimples, which usually 
contain a fluid, and burst, or break, carrying the hair with it. 
These pimples, or small tumors, however, are sometimes vesicular, 
sometimes popular, and sometimes scaly. They are caused by 
faulty digestion, and should be treated by soft feed, or fresh-cut 
grass. The hair will grow again. 

Baldness is caused by scalds, burns, and blisters ; and where the 
true skin is not entirely destroyed, the hair can be restored by 
using a weak ointment of iodine — iodine, half a drachm ; hog's lard, 
tight drachms ; mix, and apply by rubbing with the hand, once 
•very third day, till there are evidences of a growth of hair spring- 
ing up. Gunpowder and lard have no more power in causing 
hair to grow, than as much lard, saltpetre, sulphur, and char- 
coal would have; nor is it to be compared to the iodine, because, 
if iodine does not restore the hair in all cases, it will certainty dye 
or stain the skin a dark color, which cannot be washed off; and 
hence, in dark-skinned horses, is of much use in removing the 
l»are, bald-look of a white spot. 

(2.) Mawe, Itch, Psora, or Scabies. 

Cause. The result of an insect breeding and burrowing in the 
skin, and is called acari, a variety of mite or animalcule. 

Symptoms. At first, a fine crop of pustules, not at this time 
always seen, about the head and neck, and under the mane. By 
the horse rubbing himself against whatever he can get at, the hair 
falls off, and exposes an angry and red-colored skin, with red 
points and lines, fissures, wrinkles, or scratches. After this con- 
dition, we have dryness, scruffiness, baldness, and whitening of the 
•kin, accompanied with great itchiness. 



— 893 — 

Treatment The best plan for curing this disease in horses, it 
as follows : Take fine sea-sand, such as is used by stable-men for 
scouring steel bits, and rub the affected parts well for a few min- 
utes. Then wash the parts well with good soap and water, and a 
brush, after which dry them carefully. Then anoint with the fol- 
lowing ointment : Powdered sulphur, one ounce ; hog's lard, twe 
ounces ; mix. The following is more cleanly : Liver of sulphur, 
cr hepar of sulphur, two to three ounces ; cold water, one quart ; 
mix, and make a wash. This plan, with either of these mixtures 
properly applied, will not only kill the insect, but will effect a 
cure. This disease has baffled many who have attempted its cure 
without first reaching the insect, by scouring him out of his cov- 
ering, and killing him with sulphur-a highly destructive article 
to parasitic life. 

Observe. This disease is contagious. Stall-posts, mangers, har- 
ness, combs, brushes, etc., used about the horse, should be sub- 
jected to great heat either by boiling or steaming. Trees, gates and 
rubbing-posts in the field, should be washed with water, and coated 
with a mixture of sulphur, lime and water. 

(3.) Eczema.— This is an affection peculiar to some horses during 
the summer months. By close inspection large numbers of minute 
elevations, or raised parts, closely joining each other, and filled 
with a watery fluid, will be observed ; the skin will soon present 
a red and angry look, the hair be short and dry, accompanied with 
extreme itchiness— so much so sometimes, that horses so affected 
become almost unmanageable. The situation of this disease is 
usually in the hind legs, and is considered hereditary. At all 
events, when a horse is once attacked by it, it is liable to return 
again with the warm weather. 

Cause. A peculiar condition of the blood, developed by heat. 
Treatment. This disease in my hands, in several carriage horses 
which were rendered completely useless in the summer months, 
has not only been cured, but also prevented from returning, by 
the administering of half ounce doses of the sulphite of soda, 
for two weeks previous to the hot weather, once a day. In ad- 
dition to this, a few bundles of fresh grass, cut from the borders 
of several gardens, were given. The soda is designed to neutralize 
ferments in the blood; and the fresh cut grass to assist by its 



-Sa- 
nction on the stomach and bowels, and ultimately upon the blood 

itself. 

Oi.) Surfeit.—- A disease making its appearance in the spring of 
the year in fat horses that are short and well built. It is charac- 
terized by tumors about the size of a grain of Indian corn, cover- 
ing the whole body as completely as the nettle-rash does that of 
children, and does not generally cause itching, nor is it, like som© 
skin diseases, contagious. 

Cause. Robust stamina. 

Treatment. Give soft or slop feed composed of bran, cut hay, 
cold water, and salt, for a few days. Give grass, if it can be had, 
without any additional feed. A few doses of the sulphite of soda 
will be of advantage. 

Bleeding and purging have arrested the tumors in their growth, 
but unfortunately they become permanent fixtures, only to be re- 
moved by calomel and opium, which cause their absorption. In 
this event, take calomel, thirty grains ; opium, ten grains; mix, 
and give once a day for a week or ten days. Good feeding will 
have to be given. 

Ringworm. — Porrigo, and Favus are names given to this disease. 

Symptoms. Small circular patches, or scales, sometimes running 
together, forming large crusts and ulcers under them, in which in- 
sects breed. This is a contagious disease, and is communicated 
from man to animals, and animals to man. The microscope has 
shown the presence of fungi in the scab of ringworm, but whether 
it be merely the effect of the disease, or otherwise, is not at present 
known. It is, however, more likely to be the cause. 

Treatment. Wash and keep the parts clean, and aim at destroy- 
ing the fungi. For this purpose remove the scab as soon as 
formed, and apply a solution of oxalic acid to the surface, using 
fifteen grains of the acid to an ounce of water. Tar ointment, 
creosote, sulphur, and mercury, have all been tried ; but none of 
these meet with so much success as the solution of oxalic acid, 
just as recommended. For other diseases of the skin, see Grease, 
Mallenders, Sallenders, Tumors and Boils. 

Slobbering. — This is traceable in horses to a variety of causes. 
We may enumerate large doses of aconite, or veratrum ; also sore 
or scald mouth, and in some cases poisoning. Slobbering from 



'—398 — 

eating second orop clover, will be found treated of under the arti- 
cle Salivation (which see). 

Slough. — The separation of a diseased or dead part from the 
healthy portion. A slough may be of greater or less thickness, 
and may include the skin and flesh to a considerable depth — as 
from the centre of an abscess. (See Gangrene and Mortification.) 

Sores. — Healthy and unhealthy sores occur in, or on, all parts 
of the body of the horse. Healthy sores are best treated by the 
tincture of aloes, or myrrh, or simple ointment. (See Medicines 
and Prescriptions.) Unhealthy sores should be treated, first, by 
the application of some caustic, or powdered blue stone, nitrate 
of silver, or caustic potassa, which will make an unhealthy sore a 
simple and healthy one. To be treated as the above. 

Sore Mouth. — (See Mouth Diseases.) 

Sore Foot. — (See Foot Diseases.) 

Sore Throat. — (See Catarrh, Cold, and Bronchitis.) 

Sore Back. — Re-stuff the saddle, and apply the tincture of 
aloes or myrrh. 

Sore Shoulders. — See to the collar, and apply as in sore back. 

Sore Neck. — A variety of this disease presents itself about the 
place where the collar usually rests and presses when descending 
a hill in double team. They are very troublesome and difficult 
to heal, if the horse is kept at work, and cause great irritation and 
uneasiness. Frequently, when the hand is laid upon it, the horse, 
if he be a spirited animal, will plunge in the stall, and even kick, 
however quiet he may be at other times. 

Treatment. Apply simple ointment, and place a firm but strong 
piece of leather over it, so that the collar, when put on, can rest 
upon and slide over it, instead of upon the mane and neck. 
| Soundness. — This is when a horse has nothing about him that 
does or is likely to interfere with his feeding, working or general 
usefulness. 

Spavin. — A variety of disease affecting the hock-joint. Spavin 
is not now looked upon as in the days of Oliver Goldsmith and 
William Shakspeare, because in the minds of those distinguished 
men, and some of their readers of the present time, spavin is an 
enormous enlargement of the hock of the horse ; whereas, in some 
of the worst forms of spavin, there is no enlargement at all, while 



-S9S- 

the hock-joint is completely destroyed, stiff, or anchylose*!. 
Shakspeare thus refers to Petruchio's horse : " His horse hipped 
with an old mothy saddle, the stirrups of no kindred ; besides 
possessed with the glanders, and, like to mose in the chine, 
troubled with the lampas, infected with the fashions, full of wind 
galls, sped with spavins, raied with the yellows, past cure of the 
fives, stark spoiled with the staggers, begnawn with the bots, 
swayed in the back, and shoulder shotten, ne'er legged before, and 
with a half-checked bit, and a head stall of sheep's leather." 

(1.) Bog Spavin. — This kind of spavin is situated in front ot tb« 
hock-joint, and is a soft, fluctuating swelling, which rarely ever 
causes lameness. It is merely an enlargement or distention of the 
bursal cavity of the joint, and is filled with the natural fluid of 
the joint, but increased in quantity, and possibly in some cases 
a little changed in quality also. 

(2.) Blood Spavin. — This is the same as bog spavin, but more 
extensive, and generally involving the hock-joint on its three 
sides, front, inside and outside, and giving to the limb a thick, 
rounded appearance, called thorough-pin (which see). The swell- 
ing is soft and fluctuating, and indeed there is no perceptible 
difference in the nature and result of this form of spavin and the 
preceding variety, beyond it being more extensive, interfering, 
perhaps, with the flow of blood in the sub-cutaneous (under the 
skin) vein, which is seen in front, and partly to the side of the 
joint, adding very little to the general swelling. 

Causes. Hard work and fast driving, especially when horses 
are young. 

Treatment. The application of the ointment of red iodide of 
mercury, in the hands of some, has done much good ; but the 
enlargement is apt to return when the horse is again put to work, 
from the fact that more joint-oil or fluid is poured out. Acupunc- 
turation, or forcing small steel instruments into the swelling to let 
out the fluid, is sometimes resorted to, after which a bandage or 
truss is fitted to the part to press out the fluid that remains, and 
to cause the adhesion of the parts together. The difficulty in 
curing soft spavin is the danger of opening into a cavity or joint 
containing oil (synovia). An old way of treating such disease, is 
b; striking the parts with a mallet, so as to break the skin, thut 



— 397 — 

the fluid can escape ; the blow given to the skin being so great as 
to set up adhesive inflammation, and a closure of the opening. 

(3.) Bone Spavin. — Consists in the sprouting out of irregular 
bony matter from the bones of the joint, preventing their smooth 
and proper aetion over one another, and causing lameness. This 
bony growth sometimes attains a good size, and in some cases we 
find one or two of the bones only involved ; in others nearly all 
of them are affected. The situation of bone spavin is on the 
inside, and in front of the joint. 

Symptoms. When horses are what is called breeding bone spavin> 
ordinarily persons think and say the lameness is in the hip (see 
Hock), from the action which is reflected by the muscles of the 
hip at every movement made by the hock-joint, and from the fact 
that there is no enlargement as yet in the joint. The horse is lame 
on starting, but gets better after a little while, and after standing 
will start lame again. In the stable he shifts one hind leg after 
another, and when resting the lame leg, he stands on the toe. 
Pain and lameness cease when the joint is consolidated, although 
remaining a little stiff. 

(4.) Occult Spavin. — This is a disease similar to bone spavin, 
the difference being that there is no enlargement of the joint 
whatever, although the bones of the joint are all diseased, immov- 
able and stiff. This seems to puzzle and perplex horsemen, be- 
cause they cannot comprehend a bone spavin without an enlarge- 
ment of the joint outside ; and consequently the poor horse iar 
sometimes blistered and tormented in every part of the leg, but 
the right place. The cause, results, and effects of this disease are 
the same as in bone spavin, excepting that there is no enlarge- 
ment. 

Treatment. For the two varieties of spavin, just described, the 
treatment should be the same. In young horses, the red iodide 
of mercury in ointment, is the proper treatment. One drachm of 
bin-iodide of mercury, and one ounce of lard. Mix, and apply 
once in a week, and lard the parts once a day, till the next 
application. 

Old horses should have a liniment applied, once every second 
day to the parts. Oil of olives, two ounces ; oil of turpentine, one 
ounce ; creosote, one ounce ; mix. This will relieve the pain, and 



-398- 

to a great degree the lameness. Spavined horses should have an 
extra allowance of feed, to keep them in condition equal to their 
more healthy and fortunate neighbors. 

Specks on the Eye. — (See Eye Diseases.) 

Speedy Cut. — This is an injury to the knee from the shoe of 
the opposite fore-foot, and is prevented by driving slower, and 
nailing the shoe on one side only. 

Treatment. Apply cold water cloths, and if the swelling does 
not all go away, follow with the application of the red iodide of 
mercury, in the form of an ointment, once a week, for a few times, 
and lard or grease the parts till the next application. Boots are 
sometimes used as a preventative. 

Spleen Diseases. — The diseases of this organ are obscure, and 
chiefly consist of enlargements, tubercles, softening, rupture, and 
tumors. The symptoms attending these affections are not well 
marked. 

Splint. — A small bony enlargement, situated usually on the 
inside of the fore-legs, about midway between the knee and the 
pastern joint. When splint begins to grow, it sometimes produces 
lameness by stretching the covering of the bone, which, however, 
soon accommodates itself to the altered structure. 

Cause. Working horses when too young, and before the leg and 
splint bone have become united. Hence, splints disappear when 
the horse grows older, and the unity of these bones takes place. 

Treatment. One or two applications of this ointment: Red 
iodide of mercury, or tincture of Spanish fly, one ounce ; oil of 
croton, twenty drops. Mix, and apply with rubbing. 

Sprains. — By this term is meant partial displacement; the 
twisting of a joint with more or less injury to the articulations, 
ligaments, tendons and their sheaths. At times small portions of 
the bones of the joint are separated. Indeed, every variety and 
degree of severity is to be seen in sprains of different parts. Every 
joint is liable to sprain, but the usual or more common sprains 
will be found in the pastern or fetlock joint, shoulder and its joint, 
hock, stifle, back and loins, flexor tendon, suspensory ligaments, 
etc., produced by a common cause, such as slipping, facing, over- 
work, the weight of the body, and not unfi\.qu2ntly the load fall- 
ing upon a part, when not in its proper position for receiving it. 



Symptoms. Pain, heat, swelling, tenderness and lameness, more 
or less severe, depending on the severity of the sprain, and the part 
affected. In severe sprains, care must be taken to guard against 
mistakes, and to form a correct judgment of the nature of the in- 
jury, whether it be a real or simple sprain, or whether there be 
fracture or dislocation. . . , . * ^ u« 

Treatment. Absolute and entire rest, is the principal point to be 
attended to in the cure of sprains, for a sprain cannot be cured 
without rest, no matter what other remedies are employed ; and, 
if there be much fever and excitement about the horse, a few doses 
of aconite will have to be given. Tincture of aconite root, fifteen 
drops, given three times in the day for two days will remove fever 
and irritation. Then apply warm water cloths for three days fol- 
lowed by cold water cloths for the same length of time, taking the 
cloths off at night, as it is necessary that water must be poured on 
the cloths every hour, or before the warm ones become cold, and 
the cold ones become warm. After which, the lameness and swell- 
in* will have ceased : or should this not be the case, apply for a 
few days, once a day, the following liniment: Creosote, one 
ounce; oil of turpentine, one ounce; oil of olives, two ounces; 
mix Be assured the horse is quite well before he is put to work 
again, as many joint diseases are brought on by *—^ 
sprains, which never can be cured. For sprains of different parts 
of the body see Shoulder and Shoulder Joint Sprains, etc. 

Staggers.-A disease familiar to every horseman, and of a 
serious character. It presents different symptoms in different 
horses, depending altogether upon the extent to which the brain 
and nervous- centres are affected, and whether the variety be mad, 
grass, stomach, or sleepy "taggers. 

(1 ) Stomach Staggers -This is an attack of acute indigestion, 
from overloading the stomach ; digestion is arrested, fomentation 
is set up, and the evolution or giving off of carbonic acid gas dis- 
tends the st m ? ch and bowel*, and presses on the space allotted 
for the lungs to play in, depriving them of aerating the blood, 
thereby affecting the healthy action of the brain and nervou* 
centres, and producing death in from twelve to twenty-four hours 
Treatment. Injections of warm water and soap, and a handtul 
of salt to clean out the bowels, so that the gas can get free passage. 



-400- 

Arrest fermentation by dissolving two ounces of the sulphite of 
goda in a little water, and giving it at one dose, the dose to be 
repeated every hour. Mix eight drachms of powdered aloes in a 
little warm water, and drench the horse with it to stimulate diges- 
tion, and open the bowels. 

(2.) Grass or Sleepy Staggers. — A chronic variety of stomach 
staggers, and should be treated as the above variety. 

(3.) Mad Staggers. — This is inflammation of the brain, and is 
sometimes called Phrenilis. 

Symptoms. Dullness, followed by excitement and madness. 
The sleepy stage, or the congestive period passing off, then the 
madness is seen. The horse unconsciously throws and dashes 
himself about, and sometimes endeavors to climb up the wall. At 
times ropes will have to be used to keep him from pulling back, 
and becoming unmanageable, thereby destroying harness, car- 
riages, sometimes other horses, and even the stable itself. The 
power of a mad horse is great, and a painful sight to see. Finally 
he becomes exhausted, falls and dies. 

Treatment. The horse is not worth saving, and rarely can be 
saved ; for nothing can, or will, give relief to a mad horse, but 
bleeding, and this to so great an extent that life does not rally, 
and the horse dies, a dull, stupid, and immovable mass, unable to 
eat or drink. The brain is pressed with fluid and lymph, between 
the pia mater and the arachnoid. 

Remove a mad horse, as soon as possible, from anything of value, 
or that can be broken or hurt. Especially remove him from other 
horses, so that he may not injure them. 

Staked. An accident to some portion of the body, but most 
frequently to the belly, occasioned by leaping fences, or it may be 
by the horn of an ox, cow, or bull. 

Treatment. If the injury be at the belly, the wound having en- 
tered it to some depth, ascertain, with the finger, whether any 
portion of the bowels is injured, or has escaped through the open- 
ing. If so, and part of them be torn, sew with small, fine cat-gut 
(such as is frequently used by fishermen who employ artificial 
flies as bait), and pass the bowel or intestine into its proper place, 
closing the wound in the same way as is recommended for rupture 
of the belly (which see). If the skin is only wounded, treat it as 



— 401 — 



for wmpie sore. If the wound is in a fleshy part, and the skin 
peeled or torn from the flesh, it had better be clipped off, as it 
will not unite again, but shrink and dry up ; hence, it is neither 
advisable to let it hang, nor to attempt to sew it. Trim off the 
fragments of loose skin, and treat the wound with a weak solu- 
tion of, blue stone, chloride, or sulphate of zinc. (See Medicines 
and Prescriptions, and Bleeding Wounds.) 

Stings From Bees, Hornets, etc.— Not unfrequently we hear 
of horses losing their lives from irritation and fever, originating 
from the stings of these insects. 

Treatment. Take acetic acid No. 8, four ounces ; powdered cam- 
phor, one ounce ; mix, and dissolve, then rub a portion of the 
mixture into the parts most affected. The poison, swelling, irri- 
tation, etc., will be at once arrested. In an hour afterwards, anoint 
the parts with sweet oil or lard. As acetic acid may not be at 
hand in an emergency like this, strong table, or white wine vine- 
gar should be used, without the camphor. Acetic acid of French 
manufacture is eight times stronger than ordinary vinegar. 

Stifle-joint Lameness.— In the article on Hock-joint I have 
stated that this form or situation of lameness in the horse is not 
bo common as horsemen and others suppose it to be ; neverthe- 
less, no part or function can be declared exempt from accident and 
disease. It is chiefly, however, an affection of young colts kept 
on uneven ground, and arises from the wearing away of the toe 
of the foot, thus inducing dislocation of the stifle, or patella, 
which slides off the rounded heads of the bones at every step the 
animal takes. 

Treatment. Remove the horse to level pasture, and have him 
shod with a shoe having a projecting piece of iron attached to the 
toe, which will prevent the bones from sliding, out of place and 
knuckling at every step. 

Stifle Ulceration.— This is a disease of the half-moon shaped 
cartilages of the joint, and is a serious disease, as all joint affec- 
tions commonly are. 

Symptoms. The leg is held firmly somewhat in advance of the 
other, and is thrown outwards at every step. The joint is en* 
larged, and the capsular ligament very much distended, especially 

27 



— 402- 

when the animal's weight is thrown upon it, by holding up the 
Bound leg. 

Treatment. Not satisfactorily ; as ulceration is generally pro- 
gressive in its character, and frequently destroys the heads of the 
bones. But the ointment of red iodide of mercury may be tried. 

Bin-iodide of mercury, one drachm ; hog's lard, one ounce ; 
mix, and apply by rubbing with the hand, once a week, for a 
month. Lard or oil the parts daily, between each application. 

Stomach Diseases. — (See Gastritis, Mucosa, Staggers, Colic 
and Enteritis.) 

Stone in the gladder. — Are those concretions named calculi, 
formed in the bladder from a diseased condition of the urine. 

Symptoms. Pain, an occasional stoppage in the stream of the 
urine before all is passed, and a straddling gait. 

Treatment. In the province of surgery. 

Strains. — (See Sprains.) 

Strangles. — This is an eruptive fever, characterized by swelling 
in and between the bones of the lower jaw, terminating in an abscess. 

Cause. A specific poison in the blood, which few, if any, horses 
that live ten years, ever escape. It especially attacks young horses, 
but is often seen in those of increased years. Sometimes the enlarge- 
ment or abscess of the strangles is seen on the side of the face, and 
even on other portions of the body. 

Treatment. Give the horse grass, or soft feed, and little or no 
medicine. The appetite will return when the abscess is opened 
or breaks of itself. This is the great secret in the treatment of 
strangles. Do not poultice the swelling, as it will only thicken the 
skin. If anything is to be done to hasten the abscess, rub on a little 
of the ointment of Spanish fly. (See Medicines and Prescriptions.) 

Stranguary. — This is a name given to the urine, when mixed 
with blood, and when pain is present while the horse is urinating. 

Cause. Irritation of the bladder or kidneys, or both, from the 
use of the Spanish fly, either in the form of a blister, being too 
extensive, or too near the loins and kidneys; also, from the fly being 
given in an improper manner or in too large doses. 

Symptoms, Frequent desire to pass urine, v which is in small 
quantities, and bloody. Pain, irritation and fever are present. 



— 403- 

Treatment. To remove the pain, give twenty drops of the tint* 
ture of aconite root every three hours, together with plenty of 
cold water to drink ; also flaxseed tea, to horn, or drench down 
the throat of the horse, and sheath the parts from irritating sub- 
stances. Take equal parts of good mustard and flour, mix with 
warm water, make into a soft paste, and lay over the region of the 
kidneys, or small of the back, occasionally moistening it with 
warm water and covering it with a dry cotton or linen cloth. 

Strangulation. — This is a term applied to a part which is 
tightened, contracted or closed. Strangulation and stricture are 
terms implying different degrees of the same phenomena. Thus 
we speak of strangulation of the bowels from rupture, and of the 
glottis or head of the wind-pipe, when, from some cause or other, 
it is closed. Death of the horse is the result, if no opening be 
made lower down in the wind-pipe, to admit atmospheric air. 
Stricture is that condition of the wind-pipe or glottis which when 
contracted or pressed upon by enlargement of the glands of the 
neck, or thickening of its own membrane, diminishes the space 
or width of its calibre, giving rise to thick wind and increased 
breathing and cough. 

Stringhalt. — This is an affection of the hind leg, and it is 
known from the peculiar way in which the hind leg or legs are 
raised from the ground — a quick, spasmodic jerk. 

Causes. These are twofold. First. The loss of nervous influ* 
ence, whereby the extensor pedis muscle — and possibly some others 
— is deprived of its proper power. Second. The peculiar anatomi- 
cal articulation and general structure of the hock-joint of the horse 
are such that when the leg of a dead horse is stripped of its mus- 
cles the ligaments are not disturbed at all ; and if the legs above 
and below the hock be caught hold of by the hands, and the leg 
straightened out, the moment the hands are taken from it, it will 
spring into a bent position, thereby imitating stringhalt, as near 
as can be. Thus the balance of power is not equal ; the articu- 
lary ligaments of the hock are stronger than the muscles of the 
thigh. Hence, the moment the horse lifts his foot from the 
ground, the leg is matched up by the power of the articulating 
ligaments. 
Treatment. Restore the lost nervous influence; thereby the 



— 404 — 

muscles of the thigh are to be brought into healthy action. This 
will best be done by good feeding, and one grain of strychnia nux 
vomica given daily, for six weeks, in the horse's feed. 

Stumbling. — Veterinary writers are nearly all silent on this 
subject, while those who say anything about it call it a habit. In 
this we cannot coincide with them, but regard it as a nervous af- 
fection — a nervous debility resulting in atony of the flexor mus- 
cles of the shoulder. A stumbler is unsafe, either for riding pur- 
poses, or for use in single harness when attached to a two-wheeled 
vehicle. Can such an animal be classed as sound f We think not ! 

Sunstroke, Coup de Soleil. — This disease of late years has 
become of such frequent occurrence, that although not mentioned 
by previous veterinary writers, it demands a notice from us. The 
chief symptoms are exhaustion and stupidity, the animal usually 
falling to the ground and being unable to go further. 

To prevent it, allow the horse at short intervals a few mouth- 
fuls of water, and fasten a wet sponge over the forehead. The sun- 
shades now used by extensive owners of horses, will go very far 
in lessening the occurrence of this affection. 

The following treatment, when attended to at once, in the major- 
ity of cases, will prove effectual. 

First. Remove the horse from the harness to a cool, shady place. 
Second. Give two ounces of sulphuric ether; twenty drops of 
the tincture of aconite root, and a bottle of ale or porter as a 
drench to sustain the vital powers, and to act as a powerful stim- 
ulant in equalizing the circulation throughout the body ; whilst, 
Thirdly. Chopped ice should be placed in a coarse towel, cloth or 
bag, and laid between the ears and over the forehead, secured in 
any way the ingenuity of the person in charge may suggest. If 
the legs be cold, bandages will be of advantage. Do not put the 
horse to work again until he is completely restored. Dumbness is 
the usual result of sunstroke — a species of coma — for which there 
is no cure. Horses so affected are of little use in warm weather, 
but are useful in winter. 

Suppuration. — This signifies the secretion of pus, and is one 
of the terminations of inflammation. 

Symptoms. Whenever suppuration is going on to any extent in 
or on the body of the horse, a shivering fit, similar to a chill, will 



~405 — 



or may be Been, followed in a day or so, either by the discharger 
X pus from the nose, or the formation of an abscess on ^me 
portion of the body. Suspect suppuration when rigors and shiver- 
W occur, especially after accidents of whatever kind. 

S Treat™nt V Firsl Support the strength of the horse by good 
feeding, whereby the process will soon be over, and without _any 
complication with it. Second.. Do not physic or bleed, for those 
Tasures would prevent the V^«"?V™*™£ m gX 
in its original place, and, perhaps, drive it to another. (See Met 



astasis.) 



Surfeit.— (See Skin Diseases.^) 

Swelled Legs.-CSee Grease, Sprains, Debility, and ^ Dropsy.) 
Swellings.-These are of different kinds-the hard, inflam- 
matory swelling caused by injury, suppuration, and diseased bone ; 
Z si and fluctuating swelling, which is ^^*^£ 
and seen in diseases of the joints, as blood spavin, etc and con 
Sn joint oil; the dropsical, or soft and ™*f^*%™^ 
ing of many and different parts of the body at one an£ the san e 
time. Each must be treated according to th* cause of the swell- 

in SwfeL F -This word or name is so deeply buried in obscurity 
that researches in every quarter have failed to discover i s ^origin 
or secure to it a satisfactory resurrection. It applies, however 
when used by horsemen, to a falling away or shrinkage of the 
muscles of the shoulder and indicates not so -d— in 
the shoulder as it does a disease elsewhere-in the foo or eg as 
corns and diseases of the pastern joint. Atrophy shouM be ^sub- 
stituted for sweenie, as it is generally sympathetic, and, moreover, 
means that the body or a part is diminishing in bulk 

Treatment. Remove the cause of atrophy or sweenie, and the 

effects will pass away. mnTV] . . f 

Sympathy .-That condition which is developed m one part of 
the system or body of an animal, although not of itself a disease 
but is the result of disease or accident happening to some other 
or remote portion of the body. This sympathy is communicated 
through and by the nervous system. A nail in the foot, or a 
troken bone, is" immediately followed by sympathetic fever, ^d 
general disturbance of the whole system. Herein he* tb. great 



— 406 — 

difference between animal and vegetable life. A branch of a bush 
or a tree can be lopped off without any disturbance to the life or 
health of the main trunk. No such immunity exists in the animal 
creation. 

Synovia. — A clear, colorless and viscid fluid, secreted by the 
lining membrane of the joints, for the purpose of preventing fric- 
tion, and allowing an easy motion of the heads of the bones over 
one another. Synovia sometimes changes in quality, becomes thin- 
ner and gives rise to swellings of the joints. (See Blood and Bog 
Spavin.) 

Synchronous. — This name is applied to the action or beat of 
the heart, when it is in time with the beat or pulsation of an artery. 

Systole. — The movement or contraction of the heart, as the sys- 
tolic murmur. 

TabanidSB. — A species of flies which are a great annoyance to 
horses. 

Tabes. — Wasting of the muscles of the body. (See Mesen- 
terica.) 

TalpSB. — A wart-like tumor, easily removed with a sharp pair of 
scissors. 

Teeth. — (See Mouth Diseases.) 

Tetanus. — (See Locked-jaw.) 

Tetter. — (See Skin Diseases.) 

Thick Wind. — (See Heaves and Broken Wind.) 

Thick Leg. — (See Grease and Farcy.) 

Thiselo.— (See Fistula.) 

Thoroughpin. — An affection of the hock joint, accompanying 
bog and blood spavin, characterized by soft, fluctuating swellings, 
containing fluid or joint-oil in increased quantity, and an altered 
quality. 

Treatment. The same as for bog or blood spavins (which see). 

Thread Worms.— (See Worms.) 

Throat Diseases. — (See Bronchitis, Cold, and Catarrh.) 

Thrush. — (See Foot Diseases.) 

Thrombus. — (See Jugular Vein.) 

Thumps. — This is spasm of th« diaphragm, or the eurtaim 



— 407- 

frhieh hangs down and separates the cavity of the abdomen, or the 
belly from the chest. 

Cause. Over driving and oppression, paralyzing the accessory 
nerve, and hence the flapping of the diaphragm. 

Treatment. Place the horse in a cool, airy place, and allow him 
plenty of cold water, and if the noise, after an hour or go, doe* 
not subside, give two bottles of ale or porter as a drench. 

Tongue, Laceration of the. — (See Mouth Diseases.) 

Tonics. — (See Medicines and Prescriptions.) 

Toxicology. — (The science of poisons, and their antidotes.) 

Tracheotomy. — An operation to open the windpipe, in case3 
of closing of the tube by tumor, or thickening of its membrane. 
It is an operation rarely required, and moreover, not to be 
attempted by a non-professional person not acquainted with the 
art and science of surgery. Therefore, we will forego a description 
of it. 

Transfusion. — This is the act or operation of transferring the 
blood of one living animal into the vascular system of another by 
means of a tube. The effect of transfusion is almost instan- 
taneous. 

Tread. — (See Foot Diseases.) 

Trepanning. — This is an operation for opening into the bones 
of the head or face to elevate or raise a portion of bone which 
from accident has been depressed or fractured. The instrument 
used for this purpose is called a Trephine. 

It is designed to cut out a circular portion of the bone, so that a 
smooth piece of iron is inserted in the hole, and used as a lever to 
raise the depressed portion to its proper level. 

Trismus. — (See Locked-jaw.) 

Tubercles. — (See Glanders.) 

Tumors. — Tumors may be defined as circumscribed swellings 
of different sizes, without inflammation, and differing from one 
another, according to their situation and their nature. 

(1.) •Encysted Tumors. — This is a variety of tumors often seen 
about the side of the nose of the horse. It is about the size of a 
pullet's egg, soft, and elastic to the touch, with no heat, inflamma- 
tion, or soreness of any kind. 

Cause. Closing of the sebaceous openings of the part. Hence 



— 408 — 

the elevation, swelling and filling up of that portion of the skin 
which contains the sebaceous or suet-like matter. 

Treatment. Open the part with a knife, and inject for a few- 
times into the inside of the tumor a teaspoonful of the tincture of 
iodide, to kill the walls of the cyst. The surgeon sometimes cuts 
these tumors out in the form of a soft ball without opening them. 
This requires a steady hand. 

(2.) Encephaloid. — This term means a brain-like tumor, so 
named from its structure being like that of the brain. It is one 
of the kinds of cancers which sometimes attack the horse, but is 
more frequently seen in the dog and ox. 

Cause. A specific poison in the blood, not as yet well under. 
Btood. 

Symptoms. It is solid, hard, irregular in shape, and knotty, with 
no hair upon its surface, and presenting a smooth and shining 
aspect. These tumors grow rapidly, and finally break on the top, 
presenting an angry and malignant sore or ulcer, which cannot be 
healed without first removing the entire tumor with a knife, and 
treating it as for a simple sore. 

(3.) Fibroma. — This is a fibrous or warty-like tumor, familiar 
to most persons, and is attached chiefly to the skin only. 
It is troublesome only in so far as it is apt to bleed, thereby 
keeping up a degree of irritation — especially in warm weather, 
because of the sweat and flies. 

Treatment. Those persons who have not sufficient nerve to cut 
them off with the knife can take arsenic, one drachm ; hog's lard, 
four drachms; mix, and make an ointment; rubbing in and 
around the tumor, once a week, a small portion of the salve. In 
a short time it will fall off. 

(4.) Fatty Tumor. — This is a variety of tumor of frequent 
occurrence in horses, and is composed of fat, as its name indicates. 
It is sometimes called adipose and lipoma by the surgeons of 
continental Europe. 

Symptoms. A round, ovoid shape, with a firm feel, but not 
hard nor elastic, or at least not so much so as the encysted form. 

Treatment. Take a sharp knife, and after getting a twitch upon 
the horse's nose, and one of the fore legs held up, make a straight 
cut over the centre of the tumor through the skin only. Theii 



-409 — 

roll out the ball of fat with the fingers ; the knife here is of no 
use. The simply opening the skin, and rolling out the fatty 
tumor, is called occulsion, and when cleverly done looks well. 

(5.) Cancerous. — (See Melanosis.) 

(6.) Mellanoid. — (See Melanosis.) 

(7.) Bony Tumors. — A species of tumor attacking the bone, and 
is called osteosarcoma (which see). When attacking the head, it is 
called osteoporosis (which see). 

(8.) Varicose. — The horse is not often the subject of varicose 
tumor of the veins, simply from the fact that no garters or other 
ligatures are tied around the legs, interfering with a free circulation. 
The saphena major, however, is the only vein liable to varicose, 
arising from bulging of the hock -joint, and in cases of bog and 
blood spavin, and thorough-pin (which see). 

Tympanitis. — This term means drum-belly, such as occurs in 
cases of flatulent colic (which see). 

Typhia. — Typhinia. — Typhus. — These are continued fevers, 
and are lit up and fed by a specific zymotic matter in the system 
which is generated when horses are badly fed and crowded together 
in an inadequate supply of air. The fevers of glanders, farcy and 
pyemia are good examples. The seeds of the disease can only be 
got rid by the effectual destruction of the typhinia — its existing 
ferment or leaven. — (See Glanders.) 

Typhoid. — A low form of disease, accompanied with fever. 
Example : Influenza, or catarrhal fever. (See Influenza, and 
Gastritis Mucosa.) 

Typhosus. — A species of fever at present, perhaps, not very 
clearly defined, and consequent upon changes that have taken 
place in the blood of horses — a blood disease resulting in nervous 
prostration. It is comparatively a new disease, and is, in different 
parts of the country, called and known by various names, 
according to the chief symptom there observed. It is known in 
New York as cerehro spinal-meningitis by those who have seen the 
disease, because it is thought to be like when a man is affected in 
the meninges — or membranes which envelop the brain and the 
spinal morrow — producing choking, distemper, putrid fever, paralysis 
6j the par-vagum, or pneumogastric nerve, on account of the chief 



— 410 — 

symptom being the inability of the horse to at least voluntai\j 
swallow. 

The Symptoms of this affection in the horse are at first or in the 
early stage very latent or hidden. The chief of them is in the 
quiding of the food, as the holding it in the mouth and refusing 
to swallow ; also, by placing a bucket of water or other fluid within 
reach of a horse so affected, when he will place his mouth into and 
agitate it, going through the process of deglutition or swallowing 
without consuming. The inability to swallow continues for some 
days, when, from loss of sustenance and change in the circulating 
fluid, the horse lies or falls down exhausted. It should be 
observed that while the horses on Long Island, and on the Dela- 
ware flat lands could not voluntarily swallow, they were enabled 
to do so when drenched out of a bottle, with their heads elevated. 
This peculiarity, however, may be ascribed to gravitation having 
its own way, and to relaxation of the paralyzed muscles of deglu- 
tition, which, though offering no assistance, interpose nothing. 
Those cases that seem to live but a few days, as is related by some 
persons, die because the symptoms are not observed until weak- 
ness and consequent inability to stand force themselves to recog- 
nition. There are other sj^mptoms that we might mention, but 
they are alike common to all diseases of an asthenic or low or 
depressed type. It is a disease wherein the vis vitas is extremely 
low, and it is consequently very fatal — time not being allowed in 
many instances for the treatment to supply, through it and the 
vis a Tergo, the elements of nutrition. 

Treatment. In a disease of this kind, where nervous force is 
almost gone, we suggest the diffusible and more fixed stimulants, 
with carminatives and tonics — which are embraced in the follow- 
ing formula, to be given, mixed in a bottle of cold water, five times 
in the twenty-four hours: — Powdered carbonate of ammonia, 
three drachms ; powdered capsicum, two drachms ; powdered 
pimenta berries, four drachms ; tincture of nux vomica, twenty 
drops ; mix. Drench the horse with cold water several times daily, 
adding sixty drops of commercial sulphuric acid to assist in sus- 
taining the flagging powers of life. Corn meal may also be given 
in the same way, and for a like purpose. 

By way of experiment, galvanism or electricity may be em- 



"^-411 — 

ployed over a blistered surface made along the pneumogastrio 
nerve on each, side of the neck. Injections indermically— under 
the skin— with strychnine, may result in gaining time for other 
measures to become effectual as a cure. 

The cause of this disease in horses does not differ, we think, 
materially from those that give rise to like diseases in men ; for on 
the shore opposite to Long Island in 1867, and at the very time 
horses were affected with the disease, over 400 deaths were re- 
corded in the human family from an affection similar to paralysis. 
The •prevention of this disease, like many others that affect 
domestic animals, is more easily accomplished than the cure. 
Use dry stables ; also good feed, in which a drachm or two of the 
sulphate of iron, or five grains of arsenic should be mixed, and 
given once daily, when such diseases are in the vicinage, for eight 
to ten days at a time. 

Ulcers.— I do not intend to speak of internal ulcers, as of the 
brain, chest or belly— they being beyond the skill of the most 
learned, much less the non-professional reader— but will confine 
myself to external ulcers, as of the skin and flesh. 

(1.) Healthy Ulcers.— These are generally the result of an 
accident, or incision with a knife or other instrument. Every sore 
which does not heal by what is called the first intention, but sup- 
purates, is called a healthy ulcer. 

Treatment. Most healthy ulcers will heal of themselves : at most 
all that is required to be done, especially in warm weather, is to 
keep the granulations (which see) from growing too fast, and 
above the level of the skin: and for this purpose apply a solutioa 
of blue stone, or chloride of zinc as follows : Chloride of zinc, four 
grains ; rain water, one ounce ; mix. Or, powdered blue stone, tw« 
drachms ; rain water, eight ounces ; mix. One of these mixtures 
may be applied once a day, just sufficient to moisten the sore, and 
keep proud flesh down. The simple ointment of the drug stores 
is a good healing salve, and should always be in the house and at 
hand. 

In neglected sores, and when proud flesh has grown up above 
the level of the skin of the healthy part, take a stick of caustic 
potassa, and hold one end with a piece of cloth, or stick one end 
in a goose-quill, and touch the sore with the other end of the 



— 412 — 

caustic a few times, till the proud flesh turns black. Repeat at 
another time, if necessary. Keep the caustic in a tightty-corked 
bottle, or else it will be dissolved into fluid when next wanted. 

Sewing the lips of wounds and sores together is not now much 
practised, as the stitches are apt to rot, and the parts swell, in 
consequence of which the sewing gives way, thereby aggravating 
the sore. 

Adhesive plaster is also not advisable, as, when it is put on over 
the sore, it prevents the proper fluids thereof from being dis- 
charged, and the moisture serve3 to loosen the plaster. 

(2.) Indolent Ulcers. — This variety of ulcer or sore usually 
attacks the skin of the legs and heels of horses (see Phagadena, 
Grease, and Farcy), eating down into or below the surrounding 
surface. It is covered with a whitish-gray matter, and, in some 
few cases, small red spots are seen looking through the white cov- 
ering. These are granulations, and are possibly unhealthy ones.! 
(See Frost Bites.) 

Cause. A bad habit of the body and blood ; poor feeding, and 
debility. 

Treatment. Apply powdered blue stone to the ulcer, to eat off 
the unhealthy surface. Then apply a poultice for the night, made 
of any soft, moist material — say boiled turnips, carrots, or bran 
and flaxseed meal, made with a little warm water. The face of the 
poultice should be covered with powdered charcoal or brewer's 
yeast. Continue the treatment with an occasional poultice, and 
the solution of blue stone. 

Feed the horse well, and give half-ounce doses of the sulphate 
of soda, once a day, to purify and enrich the blood. 

(3.) Irritable Ulcer. — Example: Sores on the pastern-joint 
irritated by the flies, heat and sweat of summer. 

Symptoms. Cannot be touched without they bleed ; angry-loob 
ing, and very sore : highly inflamed, and extremely vascular. 

Treatment. Difficult to cure during warm weather, but easily 
healed in moderate weather, when there are few or no flies. 

Dress the sore with oil of olives, one ounce ; creosote, half an 
ounce ; oil of turpentine, half an ounce ; mix, and apply to the 
sore with a piece of soft cloth, once a day. Do not let any of the 
mixture run down on the hair, which will, if so treated, fall off. 



— 413 — 

Urinary Calculi.—(See Stone in the Bladder.) 

Urine, Bloody. — (See Hematuria.) 

Varicose. — The enlarged vein on the hock-joint, caused by 
bog and blood spavin. (See Spavins and Tumors.) 

Venesection. Bleeding by opening a vein. 

Ventilation. — Few persons are aware of the vast importance 
of pure, fresh air in the maintenance of health, and the preven- 
tion of disease, in both man and beast. However necessary pure 
air is in health, it is still more so to an animal when sick from 
fever and disease; and indeed there are diseases in which no 
treatment can or will be successful, no matter how skilfully di- 
rected, without pure fresh air, and cold water to drink. Show me 
a badly ventilated stable or barn, and I will show you in the 
spring of each year horses fevered and diseased. (See Disinfec- 
tants.) Coughs, colds, lung fever, influenza, grease, scratches, farcy 
and glanders, are the results of bad ventilation. 

Who has not heard with horror of the Black Hole at Cal- 
cutta, in which one hundred and forty-six men were confined for 
a few hours without ventilation, and only twenty-three survived 
the short confinement! Horses were confined only for a few 
hours without ventilation, in the case of two military expeditions 
sent out by England — one to Quiberon, and the other to Varna — 
in which the hatches of the ships were put down, and only for a 
short time, but sufficiently long to produce glanders in almost 
every horse. Hence, it will be perceived that, without good ven- 
tilation, a high standard of general health cannot be maintained 
very long. 

Vives. — A term given to bastard, or an irregular variety of 
strangles. (See Strangles.) 

Warts. — (See Tumors.) 

Warranty. — A form of certificate given on the purchase or 
payment for a horse. There is nothing mysterious, nor yet of 
much importance, as to the form of a warranty. The best forms 
amount to nothing, in the eyes of the law. Horses are like other 
merchandise. If not as represented, damages or difference in 
value can be obtained by a process of law, providing the seller 
can be found, and has property which can be levied upon. 'Tis 
true, in such a case, an action in tort may be brought whereby, if 



— 414 — 

payment is not made, he can be sent to prison for a while, or till 
he can claim the benefit of the insolvent act. 

Few persons will bring an action at court for swindling or get- 
ting money under false pretences, by horse dealing, for it will be 
difiicult to maintain such an action, and get a verdict upon it. 
(See Soundness.) 

Warbles. — (See Skin Diseases.) 

Water Farcy. — (See Dropsy and Farcy.) 

Weeping Eye. — As its name indicates, this is a flow of tear* 
from the eye down the side of the face, instead of through their 
proper channel. 

Causes. Obstruction in the lachrymal sac, or nasal duct, front 
a disease called fistula lachry mails. 

Treatment. This is the province of the surgeon and anatomist. 

Wens. — The common name for external tumors. 

Wheezing.' — This is a sound given from a horse having en- 
larged glands, or thickening of the membrane of the wind-pipe, 
or the glands pressing upon the head decreasing its calibre. Whist- 
ling is caused by the same alteration of structure in the wind-pipe. 

Whirl-Bone, a Sprain of the. — (See Sprains and Hock.) 

Wind Galls. — Are soft but elastic swellings or enlargements. 
They are non-inflammatory in character, and are produced by the 
same cause, governed by the same laws, and present the same 
phenomena as bog, blood spavin, and other enlarged or distended 
bursa of joints, which are all produced by, and are evidences of, 
hard work. No treatment for them will be satisfactory, as they 
will return again, even if they have been removed. 

.Wind-Sucking. — (See Crib-biter.) 

Worms. — The worms which inhabit the body of the horse are 
of many varieties. Some of them are harmless, while others in- 
terfere with his health. They are, 1st, The hot or oestrus equi, found 
inhabiting the stomach. 2nd. The sestrus Hsemorrhoidalis or Fun- 
damental bot found in the rectum, and often seen about the anus, 
and under the tail. 3rd. The strongylus, and Filaria, found in 
the aorta, and other blood vessels. 4th. The ascarides vermicidaris, 
found in small cells within the mucous covering of the ccecum, or 
blind gut. 5th. Filaria, found in the aqueous humor of the eye. 

(1.) Stomach Bot. — Thes*e worms are the result of turning 



— 418 — 

horses out to pasture in the summer months, and are produced 
from the eggs laid or glued to the fore legs of the horse by the hot fly. 
Symptoms. An unthrifty coat, and loss of flesh after a run at 
grass, may be taken as an indication that bots are present within 
the stomach. 

Treatment. Improve the condition of the horse, so that the de- 
bilitating effects of the bots' presence may not interfere with the 
general health and condition of the horse ; for it must be borne in 
mind that no medicine can, or will, dislodge or destroy these para- 
sites short of killing the horse also. Once the eggs are in the 
stomach, which seems to be the natural nursery both for their pro- 
tection and the propagation of their species, they cannot be re- 
moved by force. In one year from the time the eggs are taken 
into the stomach, will the bot be a perfect chrysalis, and will fall 
from the coats of the stomach, and be expelled with the excreta 
or dung. In a short time after, it will be provided with wings, and 
fly about, commencing the propagation of its species which must 
pass through the same period of probation or incubation as its 
progenitors. Give iron and gentian, in addition to good feeding, 
to prevent the bots from debilitating the animal too much. Take 
powdered sulphate of iron and gentian root, each three drachms ; 
mix, and make one dose, to be repeated twice a week. 

(2.) Fundament Bot.— Like that of the stomach, but also the 
result of a run to the grass. Instead of the eggs being deposited 
upon the legs, they are stuck to the muzzle or lips of the horse, 
and are the color of the skin, hence not often seen. 

Symptoms. The following year, during the summer months, the 
larva of this species will be seen sticking about the anus and 
under the tail, which in spirited horses prove a source of great 
uneasiness and irritation. 

Treatment. Injection of linseed oil, or tobacco smoke. 
(3.) Strongylus— This variety, and a species of Filaria, are 
sometimes found in the blood vessels, and are similar in effects 
produced in the horse, to those seen in sheep affected with rot. 

Cause. Feeding on wet and marshy land, and pasture having 
been flooded with water. Who has not heard of the effects pro- 
duced from this cause, in animals grazed upon the course of the 
fiver Nile, in Egypt, after each inundation? 



-416- 

TnaimMit. Support th© strength by good, generous feeding, 
and give iron and gentian, each two to three drachma, onee a day, 
removing the animal to high and dry pasture. 

(4.) Asc ABIDES. 

Cause. A bad habit of body, called cachexia and chlorosis. 

Treatment. Give iron, gentian and arsenious acid, in the follow- 
ing manner: Powdered sulphate of iron, two drachms; gentian 
root, two drachms; arsenic, five grains. Mix, and give in one dose 
in mixed, cut or soft feed, twice or three times a week. 

Wounds. — They are divided into simple, incised, contused, 
lacerated, punctured and poisoned. Wounds are more or less dan- 
gerous when entering the chest and belly, as are also poisoned 
wounds, or those from the bite of a mad dog. (See Bites.) 

Wounds followed by bleeding will be found treated of under the 
article on Bleeding (which see). 

Contused, lacerated and punctured wounds are generally followed 
by suppuration (which see), which should be encouraged by warm 
poultices applied to the parts, and should be kept freely open to 
allow the pus free escape. Wounds entering the belly or chest 
should be treated by placing a pad over the part to exclude the air, 
followed by the application used in simple wounds. Keep down 
pain by giving twenty drops of the tincture of aconite root, three 
times a day, for two days only. Poisoned wounds will be found 
treated of under the article on Bite of Mad Dog (which see). 

Wourali. — A name given to a poison which is prepared by the 
Macousi Indians, of South America, and used by them on the 
points of their arrows. This poison has been advocated by some 
in the treatment of locked-jaw in the horse, but in my experience 
nothing favorable can be said of it as a cure for this terrible dis- 
ease. The power of this poison is so great, that in four minutes 
after an ox, of one thousand pounds weight, was pierced in each 
thigh by an arrow poisoned with it, the poison took effect, and in 
a few minutes more his head and legs ceased to move. In twenty 
minutes from the time he was wounded, the ox was dead, having 
apparently died without pain. 

Yellows. — Discoloration of parts of the skin from liver disease 
(See Liver.) 

Yellow Water. — (See Liver Diaeaaes.) 




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